The Conversation of Four

"Are they all yours?"

"Yes, they are."

"What are the ages?"

"10,9,6,2."

Then it comes - the moment of encouragement.......

wait for it.....

it takes many different forms

"Wow, you must be tired."

"Wow, you must be busy."

"You know how that happens, right?"

"Do you know that lady on T.V. - the one with 19 kids,  She is nuts too."

Or the best one yet....

"My mom had (insert #) kids, she was miserable."

Yup, that is my life just.about.every.day.

Should I let the strangers of encouragement know that I do 15 loads of laundry a week, keep my house from being condemned, write a blog, sew for clients, am teaching myself graphic design, training for a half marathon, serve in my church, serve in my community, help at the kids school, I read books, occasionally shower, love my husband, and find ministering to people very important?  What would they say then? 

Raising kids is difficult, raising four kids is impossible.  My life is constant motion.  You can not stop otherwise there is mutiny.  I am tired.  There are days I dream about running away.  Then there are days where I just sit down and cry.  It is not easy.

But I am a better person because I have four kids.  I know what grace truely is.  I find art in the everyday.  My motivation kicks up a notch when I am around them.  They drive me to be a better woman.    

  I love my children.  One of the greatest joys is seeing them grow - a fruit of the labor indeed. And honestly, what if I had six, ten, twelve?  Is it really there place to say?  

I just pray that the pillars of encouragement who enter my life realize that woman (like me) need a pat on the back.  Mothers we are superheroes.  Why can't the public who crowds the ballfields to cheer on guys who hit balls for a living -- cheer on a woman who rarely sleeps and always sacrifices?  What a concept.