The Little Things…
Over the past 13 ½ years, I have gone from working mom, to student, and then to stay at home mom and back to student/SAHM again. When I look at the standard that the world sets, I realize am supposed to be able to do it all and still live a healthy life as a wife and mother. However, I have found this to be a task that I have not successfully achieved in all of my adult life, to the degree that I desire.
When I attempt to tackle too much, I find that I am overwhelmed by the daily tasks and expectations that are set before me. I want to be, both, a great wife and a great mother, but when working hard at achieving these two goals and then trying to juggle a full-time job, it seems that I end up dropping the ball and despising one aspect of my life.
For that very reason, I decided to give up the 9-5 for a while. I decided to focus on my education, which will afford me the opportunity do work a more flexible schedule while doing what I love. In the mean time I focus on being thankful for the little things.
What little things? You ask…
- I am thankful for the conflicts that my husband and I have. They remind me that I am in a healthy relationship where my spouse is willing to challenge me. He helps to sharpen me like iron and he makes me better. I am married.
- I am thankful for the mandate that I have to balance my roles as mother and wife with other roles that I have. They remind me of how important it is to me to be a mother and a wife. These challenges show me that somethings will come up against my most important human relationships, but resilience and reevaluation are the keys to getting things back in line. I am a wife and a mother.
- I am thankful for the mounds of laundry that I tend to have. We have six people in our family and those mounds of laundry remind me that God has blessed us with tons of clothes and choices of what to wear. We have clothes to wear.
- I am thankful for the dishes in my sink. I have to take the time to wash them, either by hand or by dishwasher, but they remind me that we have all eaten and do so daily. We have food to eat.
- I am thankful for the toys to pick up off of the floor. They remind me that God has blessed us with an income to provide for our children’s pleasure. They get to play with things that they enjoy. We have a steady income and material things to enjoy.
- I am thankful for the time that I have to manage wisely. As a stay at home mom, I have a certain amount of time that I have to manage in order to be productive, while my family is away at school and work. This could feel overwhelming at times, but it is a blessing to have that time to decide what I would like to take care of and how I would like to do it. I am still alive and can manage my time.
- I am thankful that I have to tell my kids to stop running around the house or being so loud. I grew up as an only child in my house, so I having four children actively running around and playing are things that I had to get used to. However, their noise is a very pleasant reminder that they are healthy and adventurous. Their noise and lively activities remind me that I have been blessed with children and I am thankful. I have children and they are healthy.
- I am also thankful for the school work that I have to complete and the books that I have to read. They are reminders of the fact that I am receiving an education that will prepare me of various opportunities in life. I have the opportunity to be educated and make the best out of life. I have a sound mind.
I have a long list of things that I could discuss, but I think you get the jest of what I’m saying. It is very hard to forget our blessings, especially when some of our struggles come from those very places. We could all take a look at the things that we complain about and realize that they are simply a blessing that we must learn how to manage. I hope that you have found this post encouraging.
Do you have various areas of your life, where you tend to complain, but after reading this post, realize that you have more to be thankful for than to complain about? If so share them with us.
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