On Being a Mom – Part Two

It seems strangely coincidental that Mother’s Day weekend falls at the end of the worst week of sickness my family has ever had. It’s true that we were deemed The Vom Snapps by friends at church because of our reputation for violent stomach illnesses. But it’s also true that this has changed somewhat as the kids have grown older. In fact, it had been just under 2 years since the last real battle with the stomach junk. But as you know only too well, last week the kids fell to it. And for days on end, I ran back and forth, up and down, wiping chins, holding bowls, holding children, scrubbing carpets, doing sheets at 2 a.m. and worrying. I don’t remember a harder week. But the one thing I can say about a week like this is that a mom’s focus changes and anything superfluous gets set aside. The calendar clears. The car doesn’t leave the driveway. The laundry and toilets stay clean, because they absolutely must stay clean for the comfort of all the infirm. And somehow, though the people are suffering, everyone is at peace. I wouldn’t wish this nasty germ on anyone, but I did get some simple glimpses into what matters. And I’m thankful for that.

It is also strangely ironic that I have four children packed into less than 7 years on this Mother’s Day of my 40th year. Because 10 years ago, on Mother’s Day weekend of 2001, I had no children. I couldn’t have children. And I was pretty much tortured over that fact. I had learned to cope (I paid good money for this learning), but I had not learned to stop wishing. Every moment. I can hardly remember life before I was a mom, but I can tell you that there was a time when I could not imagine ever being allowed to be one.

Missy’s Top Ten Reasons Why it Rocks to be a Mom
10. I was infertile. For YEARS.  So just becoming someone’s mom was a miracle I was unable to attain on my own.
9. Quiet is overrated. I’ll have the last 20 years of my life, as a deaf, senile, sanatorium-dweller for quiet. No one will visit me there, but I imagine Mama’sBoy will pay the monthly bill.
8. Dried, crusty play-doh is exciting. Also exciting is trying to identify crusty things on the family room carpet as I navigate barefooted.
7. The element of surprise! The fact that at any moment, a child could announce “that person is fat” in a grocery store or “why is that lady so naked” in a public parking lot makes every day spontaneously fun and exciting.
6. It’s fun to spend $2200 to fly.
5. Squeeze hugs.
4. Kissing a wee one on the mouth and coming away with a trail of mucous. Sweet.
3. Gathering on the red couch to wait out a thunderstorm together. There’s nothing  better than snuggling with the kids during a storm.
2. Reading in the loft together.
1. Seeing how much better God’s plans are than my own.