Saturday, November 24, 2012

I Love My Kids This Much

At church, a while ago, the virtue the kids were learning about was individuality.  How each one of us is unique, created by God with certain gifts and abilities.  The take home paper was a big, sticky piece of plastic that had a list of gifts and talents and places for me to fill in what gifts I believed each child has.  Things like dancer, encourager, singer, helper etc.

So, the next day I filled it in.  We talked a little bit about how God makes each one of us different.  And there is no one in the world just like each one of us.  And that we each, every single one of us, has an important purpose in this world and God created us, uniquely to carry that purpose out.  Then we put them up in the bathroom, on the mirror, where they could see them everyday.  I told them when they were having a bad day they could go in there and look over all the wonderful things that God made them to be.

Someone, I am not sure who, said "Mommy you need one."  And I couldn't have agreed more.  There are many days I need to look in the mirror and be reminded of how uniquely God made me.  And all the gifts and talents He has given me to fulfill His purpose in my life.  That happened to reminded me that a couple of months ago I had printed off some sheets that said at the top "I love mommy because . . . " and then line after line things like "she wants" or "she says" or "she hopes."  I had the three older kids fill them in.

Some of the things they wrote were funny, some true and some brought tears to my eyes.  "I love my mom because she sees me dancing."  "I love my mom because she hears me singing."  "I love my mom because she wonders what I do."  "I love my mom when she touches my hair."  "I love my mom because she worries what I am going to be when I grow up."  "I love my mom because she understands me (sometimes.)"  "I love my mom because she dreams to have a happy family."  "I love my mom because she tries to make us happy."  "I love my mom because she hopes I grow up to be a mom."

Another one:   "I love my mom because she wonders why we argue."  "I love my mom because she feels happy and joyful."  "I love my mom because she cries when she is stressed."  "I love my mom when she says really?"  "I love my mom because she hopes I love her and I do."  "I love my mom because she loves me and Snoopy and how I help her."

The last was:  "I love my mom because she wonders how good the day is going to be."  "I love my mom because she feels happiness."  "I love my mom because she worries about stuff."  "I love my mom because she understands stuff."  "I love my mom because she says encouraging stuff."  "I love my mom because she dreams of stuff."  "I love my mom because she tries to do stuff."

I loved  reading all of them and, for me, it was so apparent who wrote what!  It made me laugh and it made me cry.  It made me think "I am doing OK."

It has been about six weeks since we have done this.  The kids encouraging words are still up in the bathroom.  And I keep mine in my school basket.  When I am having a bad day, one of them usually remembers to pull out the sheets and give them to me.

It immediately brightens my day.  It helps me to remember who I am and what my purpose is in life.  I am a stay-at-home, homeschooling mother with four amazing, thoughtful, loving, serving, caring, talented, unique kids!  Seriously, who could ask for anything more . . .