Motherhood is Awesome!

Life is Awesome!

Well, at least some of the time it is. Let’s face it, daily life in the 21^st Century can be overwhelming. We only have to read the entries of our Facebook friends to see that we all experience highs and lows, joys and sorrows. We triumph in the small successes of our lives and endure the painful times. What a great way to journal some of our most poignant moments, recalling the bitter and sweet experiences of each day.

In an adaptation of his blog, author Neil Pasricha records the simple pleasures of everyday living called The Book of Awesome. Focusing on both tangible pleasures and simple experiences, some of his entries are:

• The smell and sound of a campfire
• Finding money in your pocket
• Bakery air
• Wearing underwear fresh out of the dryer
• Sliding a key perfectly into a lock in the dark, without fumbling or turning on the lights
• Sleeping in new bed sheets
• A vending machine that gives you two things instead of one
• Watching a squirrel figure out how to invade a rodent-proof bird feeder
• The smell of tea that wafts up when you unwrap a brand-new box
• High-fiving babies
• When cashiers open up new checkout lanes at the grocery store
• Fixing electronics by smacking them
• Pulling off your wet bathing suit and putting on dry clothes after a long swim
• That one really good pen that never gets lost

Once you get into this mode of simple appreciation, you begin to pay closer attention to these magical moments in your own life and enjoy the little things that make life worthwhile. Forgive my sentimentality as Mother’s Day approaches and I contemplate some magical moments I’ve had as a Mother:

• The sight of my three beautiful, healthy babies just minutes after birth
• Unwrapping the blankets to look over their whole bodies
• Counting their ten fingers and ten toes
• Watching my baby’s chest rise and fall as he/she peacefully sleeps
• Little hands grasping, then letting go of my fingers as they balance themselves and take that first step
• An icing-covered face as they crammed their first birthday cake into their mouths
• Singing and recording silly songs together
• Watching their faces on Christmas as they discover their gifts under the tree
• Hearing them sing a song or quote a Bible verse I have taught them
• Coloring Easter eggs and their delight in filling baskets with the eggs they’ve found
• Overhearing their conversations as they mimic my instruction to each other
• Enjoying Halloween costumes and candy
• The sweet smell as we cuddle up to read a bedtime story after all three have had a bath
• Hearing their sweet, sincere prayers as we tuck them in at night
• Vacations and uninterrupted time we spent enjoying nature and scenic sites
• Teaching them to swim and realizing they no longer need my arms underneath
• Watching them perform at school plays and soccer games
• First dates and driving off in the car alone for the first time
• Watching them walk across the stage to receive their high school diplomas, and then graduating from college
• Knowing my children as adults, living out the values we worked so hard to instill in them
• Seeing my children become parents and proudly sharing in their joy

The joy of motherhood is a gift that keeps on giving, because as a grandmother, I'm experiencing some of those same awesome moments. Seen from a different perspective, they only reinforce my sweet memories of their own childhood and the privilege God gave me of being a mother.

"May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!"

Proverbs 23:25 (NIV)