Have you ever been carrying a large load? Your arms are so full, but you are confident that you can manage it all. And then it happens. You drop something or worse, you drop everything that you are carrying!
Anyone who has ever been to my home has been greeted by my Maltese, Lacey May. Lacey is 3 lbs. of ferocious barking, barking, barking. Lacey barks when the doorbell rings and when the phone rings. Lacey barks when someone walks into the room, even if she saw them five minutes prior...she barks! So on this particularly stressful week about a year ago, my mother seeing that I had a migraine coming on, offered to take Lacey May for a few days.
As my mother was getting ready to leave my home with her arms full of Lacey's traveling arsenal: leash, kennel, dog food and Lacey herself, it happened... Mom dropped Lacey! Lacey landed on her back, rolled over, stood up, tail wagging and... barked. Lacey was unharmed and fine.
I was thinking about this incident and how it mirrors my life. So many times I think I can handle picking up one more thing. My arms are full, but I am confident that I can carry more. I'm sure I'm not the only woman who does this. I have many friends who volunteer at their children's school, serve in their churches, work outside the home and are active in the community. After all, we are mom's and we believe we are Mama Almighty! Aren't we? The truth is, I cannot carry the load on my own for long before I drop something.
I am coming to the realization that I have perfectionist tendency's, but I am not perfect. I strive to be Mama Almighty who can conquer any challenge put in front of me, the mom who can take on anything... the mom who has it all together, but I'm not almighty. The perfect mother with all the answers for teenagers to toddlers. Perfect children, perfect home, perfect life, but it's not perfect. Hah! The honest truth is, it's hard being a wife and mother. The truth is, I am not perfect and I cannot carry everything at once. The truth is sometimes it's important to put something down before I drop what is most important. There are seasons in life. I now realize, I don't have to do everything at once, maybe this is the time to focus on what is most important for this particular season.
In the past I have done a million different things, chaired events, been on boards, ran school music programs, ran a business, etc. etc... But this past year, I decided to take time off from everything. I took time off from everything... except my family. I focused on my family's needs. It has been the best year, supporting my husband and spending time with my girls, and helping them fulfill their dreams has been so much fun! We have had great times & discussions going back and forth to L.A. for auditions, which will be another blog post :)
Life is too short and they grow up too fast. I only have a couple more years with them in my home. I don't want to have any regrets of not spending enough time with them or not instilling the character and values that will make them successful. I'm so glad I put some other things down to focus on what is most important for this season of my life, my family.
What is too heavy in your arms? What has you distracted from what is really important to you? What is stopping you from pursuing your purpose in life? Maybe it's time to put something down.
Susan
Mama Almighty ;)
