Two Moms for Mother's Day

What a day. As you may know, my sister and I are living together for the next year while our husbands are off to war. So there are two mothers, five children (six in a few more months), and one house. It's an interesting dynamic. Garin's cousins are Lauren (six), Adam (seven), Nathan (ten), and Austin (eleven).

Needless to say, there's some culture clashing as we test out the territory. Heather and I come from very different household management styles. I like things orderly, clean-as-you-go (aka - pick up after yourself), and clutter-free. She's a little more relaxed. Having four children close in age and moving I think eight times in six years admittedly makes it very hard to keep a system. But then, this is the girl who would pay me five bucks to pick up her room when she was a teenager. =) It's simply a case of different priorities - she doesn't want to be constantly cleaning and she wants her children to take responsibility for their chores. I tend to be more active and if there's something to be done, I do it, and I also want children picking up and doing chores - but I want them to be doing things correctly, not haphazardly.

So of course there's going to have to be some compromising and feeling out what the best system is. I understand that she doesn't want me to be either constantly picking up after her children (and her) or being the "bad guy" and getting after them. But I need to feel like that if I'm not going to do it - it's going to be done. I can't just leave dishes in the sink all day. Just not in my nature. ;-) Plus the whole nesting/pregnancy thing doesn't help matters. Seriously, I'm like the energizer cleaning bunny. If I take a step back, I have to admit, I probably look a little frantic picking up everything all the time. It's probably pretty funny. Me running around in a dress, barefoot, pregnant, washing dishes and folding clothes. Fifties flashback anyone?! I can see how she doesn't want that picture stuck in her three sons heads!

So anyways, it was an interesting mothers day. I talked with "B" on the phone quite a bit today. He was having a rough day. Sundays were always a relaxing day for us - a family day. He misses going to mass with us and playing with Garin. I miss having someone help me herd Garin in mass! But seriously, it's really hard without him.

Garin slept until 6:30 today, which is amazing - he's had a very gradual adjustment to the time change. We snuggled in my bed for a bit and then went downstairs for breakfast (banana, oatmeal & yogurt for both of us), and then played for a while. Then his 9 am nap. We were about 20 minutes late for mass, which I HATE, but I am not willing to wake the sleeping baby from his nap. It's been such a struggle to get the nap routine on track. And unfortunately, there's no other Catholic parishes nearby that I can hit a later mass when it happens. Such is life.

Today's mass was good - it is pentacost sunday. The readins were: Acts 2:1-11; Psalms 104: 1, 24, 29-31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; and John 20:19-23. I find myself wanting to do a closer study of Acts - it's been such a long time since I've really read it. What an amazing time in the church's history. Can you imagine how it much have felt, to be receiving the Holy Spirit in such a physical manner - seeing the tongues of flame and realizing you could understand everything, no matter what language you spoke?! Despite all the persecution, the church really grew. And the reading in John was when Jesus first appeared to the disciples - on ressurection Sunday. They were at their lowest point, wondering what to do next. What a change! In just a few short weeks these men and women went from fearful followers hiding in a room thinking that their savior was gone, to being passionate and fearless professors of the Good News! Certainly Christ changed these men.

My prayer today is that I will have the pentacost passion for serving God. 1 Corinthians speaks of how there are many parts, but we all serve one God, and one Holy Spirit runs through us. I know I have the Spirit of God in me, and he has called me for a great and wonderful purpose.

And this mother's day, I know I have the greatest purpose. Right now I have two lives given to my care to raise for God's glory. As I watch my son grow and discover the world, and feel the life within me begin to move, I know that God has given me a very awsome responsibility - to help shape and mold these lives to know and serve him.

I always thought I understood a mother's (and parent's) love. I though I knew what love is. But only when I became a parent did I really start to understand God's love for us. When I hold that little boy in my arms, and kiss his head, I would give the world for him. He's so incredibly precious to me. I've never known love like that, even in the greatest stretch of my imagination. My appreciation for God's love for ME, has really become truer as I start to understand what unconditional - agape - love really is. It really is humbling.

Eclectic thoughts today, I know. But hey, this is what life is really about. And isn't it amazing? God bless you, my friends.