Just an Ordinary Day

The alarm rings...5am. Time for the day to begin. But I am so tired! Last night was one of those nights where there was too many tasks left at the end of the day for the day to end. The life of a business owning single mom are often long and taxing. Up far to early by most people's standards and up far to late for sanity.

But when you have little lives depending on you, then you give more than you think you have to get the tasks accomplished.

Oh yeah...the alarm!

I press the snooze, hoping for just another 10 minutes. But no...a small warm body presses close to me. I roll over and inhale the sweet smell of my youngest child, and my heart soars. This is why I get up early every day. This is why I work late every night. this little blonde, and her brother and sister are my life. I embrace this moment of stillness before the craziness of the day begins.

Fast forward 2 hours. Showers have been taken, breakfast consumed, hair combed, shoes found and lunches packed. Binders have been signed, homework double checked and instruments gathered. I prepare to administer the daily medicine to my youngest child.

It breaks my heart...this little gold pill...but it does help her get through the day. See, my youngest child has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and my be special needs. I don't like the fact she is on meds, but at the moment it is the best choice for her. I double check that she has had her green food supplement and her Omegas...anything I can do to help her little body find the much needed balance it craves.

Finally, the girls are out the door and off to school.

Coffee! It is my vice, my nemesis...and my best friend. It is my morning companion as I prepare my day.

Soon, The Boy emerges from his cocoon. This one is quiet, he likes to join me in my quiet coffee moments and just sit with his head on my shoulder. There is a special bond between me and my first born. Not any more important...just different than that with his sisters. He understands the need for quiet. We sit and soak in this quiet moment together before he to heads off to school.

Now it is just me. I decide to take a few more moments and do some yoga before i spend some time in meditation and prayer. I have learned that it is so important to take time to care for me. Some days it is yoga, some days it is a homemade beauty treatment. Always it is permission to my self. To take a few moments for me so I am better able to care for the needs of my family.

The rest of the day is spent working on my business, talking to potential clients and enlarging my social media reach. I often have homework. I always have house work. The dishes and the laundry never end. Occasionally I will go to lunch with someone dear to me or get away to run some errands.
I am always looking for ways to enhance the day and create a spirit of peace in  my day and my home. I will learn about a new beauty treatment I want to try, a new house keeping routine or a new book to add to our family library.

The end of the day is just as fast paced. There is homework to get through and dinner to be made. There is a pile of dishes to wash and instruments to practice. The highlight of my day? Right before the children go to bed. We gather as a family and spend some time in sharing, teaching and prayer.
I believe it is important to take the time to appreciate these quiet moments with our loved ones, no matter how fleeting they may seem. These moments are what make it possible to get though the daily rounds, to keep going when all strength seems to be gone. To give our all to provide for those that depend on us.

Find these moments, create them and protect them.

The Retirement

Well, hello there! Aren't you just the cutest thing! All bright and shiny, fresh from the store shelf. I am sure she debated long and hard, trying to decide which one of you to bring home. Welcome to the family.

I want to just tell you a little bit about what you have been bought into. See, this is an exclusive collection The Mommy has. Some of us are newer...some of us have been here for years and a few of us are even older than she is. It is true that a couple of us get used more often than the rest...but we all have a special story about how we got here. If you look close you will see some chips and a couple cracks. A few of us have had handles glued back on and some are completely retired...content to observe the daily comings and goings from the display hooks above the door.

That is where I am heading soon...

Oh! don't worry about me...I am looking forward to it! I have served The Mommy for years, and The Grandmother for many years before that...it has been a good life and I am ready to rest. I am becoming to fragile for everyday use and will most likely be kept only for certain moments when she is needing an extra connection to memory.

See, that is our function...we are silent witnesses to memory. It is a huge responsibility you are taking on. You will be called upon many times over the coming years. You will be present for countless intimate conversations. You will hear laughter and see tears. You will be reached for when the nights have been long and The Mommy needs a pick me up. She will entrust you with the small hands of her children when they are ill, filling you with an endless supply of warm and healing creations. I guarantee there will be countless late nights and early mornings. You may be tempted to feel resentful when she has to rush off and leaves you on the counter, mostly full...having completely forgotten to at least empty your carefully protected contents into one of the Takeaways. But don't worry....

She will return.

Stay strong and do your job well. Take care of this little family. You were specially chosen and will be well loved for many years to come.