The Grass is Always Greener . . .

On Sunday morning when I checked my calendar to see what was in store for the upcoming week, I was delighted to find that during the day I only had one thing scheduled.  By Monday afternoon my calendar was so full that I wondered if I would have time to use the potty.  The ever filling calendar and a few conversations with other Mom's over the last couple of weeks has led me to ponder . . . So bear with me as I delve into the inner voids of my ever increasing tired brain.

I found myself being envious of a friend who has 6 children, the youngest are 21 month old twins and she and is pregnant with her seventh child.  I'm not envious of her growing brood but of the following comment:  I asked a mutual friend, " How does she do it?"  and the response was, "Family and home, that's all she does."  I dream and long for a day that I can put all my focus on my children, husband and home & the rest of the world will stop demanding my time. Another friend is struggling with health issues while working full time and playing the role of single mom to her triplets while her husband is furthering his education.  More than anything she wants to be a stay at home mom, but is unable at this time to make this dream a reality.  And another friend is blessed to be a stay at home Mom to four very active boys and has just received an offer to go back to work.  She wants to accept the offer because it will fill a void in her life but is unsure if that is the right thing.

I remember wishing my infants would just sleep through the night.  Then I wished they would crawl, eat table food, walk, be potty trained, dress themselves, and go off to school.  All the while I imagined things will be easier when that next phase came.  Not so! When one phase ends and a new one begins it brings with it new challenges.  And now I find myself longing for the simple days when Paul was in school, we rented a house, had one car and I was home all day with a 1 & 3 year old letting each day unfold on it's own.

Why do we as women and mothers always look and dream for our situations to be different?  Why do we think the grass will be greener on the other side?  Why do we not embrace what we have and love it, because in reality it could be worse?

As I pondered the situations I mentioned above from my own life and that of my friends' I read the following:

"If we spend our days waiting for beautiful roses,

we could miss the beauty and wonder

of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us."

 

 

So instead of looking for things to be different, I need to learn to be grateful my children are healthy enough to make messes, bright enough to have a mind and will of their own, that the Heavenly Father has blessed me with talents that He wants me share with others, that Paul's job allows us to provide our kiddos the interventions they need to deal with their earthly challenges, that I have been blessed with perseverance to advocate for my children, that Heavenly Father trusts me to be a mother to yet another one of his chidlren and that at the end of the day my children still want me to tuck them in multiply times despite how loud I've cackled on my broom stick due to the stresses of life and my husband kisses me goodnight and says "I love you."
 

The grass is green right where I am!