My loves are my three children. As they grew, they became my best friends, mentors, and my network of support. Each one is unique and wonderfully made by God. I am truly blessed among women. Some say, her children will call her blessed. But I say, I am blessed.
I am blessed!
What does it mean to be called blessed? The chapter in Proverbs 31 has examples of a woman respected and praised. The thought of being all those things sounds exhausting! But the progressive progress of motherhood or nurturing moves a woman to do each one in turn.
When my children were little, I lived with exhaustion and constant chores. There were always dishes to do, meals to plan and prepare, and laundry to wash! Beyond those basic chores were giving or supervising baths, picking up or supervising toy pick up time, and changing clothes. It often seemed like I did little else!
When they were older, I did less supervising of chores and more supervising of homework. We homeschooled for several years which meant planning, my favorite activity! But eventually we had to actually do the plans.
When they were babies, I would step back from the endless chores and realize I was missing out on the fun parts. I instituted my personal time of play. Then my complete attention was fixed on my babies and we talked, laughed, chased, and played.
But eventually they achieved school status and I moved on to earning status. After our move to California, I stopped work in my field. That meant when I returned to the workforce, I needed skills. The computer language I knew was obsolete. Where would I learn how to earn money again?
While I studied online courses, I took part-time jobs which allowed me to be home when the kids were. I delivered flowers for a florist. For many months, I washed dishes and prepared foods for elementary schools and a junior high school. I tried selling Avon and tea tree based products. The best part-time job was for a boat accessory company, Welcome Aboard!
Learning new skills!
I learned new skills from my part-time work. Answering phones, washing very large pots, parking in crowded lots, and the difference between a trawler and a cruiser. Each new learning experience prepared me for writing and seeing different points of view.
Once my children were in high school, I had more time and I tried new things. I learned to make make blankets using a quilting frame. What I created couldn’t be called a quilt officially, but they still warm the beds of my children occasionally. I taught a small group of girls how to do basic sewing and we talked and bled around the quilting frame.
Having a black thumb meant I couldn’t grow my own food. But my children worked in the soil along with my husband. We didn’t have potted plants because we have cats who like to dig. And every potted plant in our home died within weeks. Instead, we gathered kittens and cared for them.
At one point we tried sewing. And at another we learned to bake bread and cook chicken masala. But learned to laugh and speak with respect to each other. Early in our homeschool years, we found a list of rules for our home. We did great with “Jesus is our guide.” But putting things away or doing our daily chores were harder.
Her children will call her blessed
One rule which stuck in our minds was to speak quietly and respectfully with one another. We prayed for mommy to stop yelling every day until it was a reality. Then we continued it in our conversations with each other. Together we learned to share opinions and rules without attacking each other. It is okay to disagree but not yell.
The biggest achievement of my life so far, is watching my children treat each other with love and respect. Our family home is filled with laughter and love, hugs and fun, because we are free to be ourselves. And this, I think, is what makes me blessed.
Her children rise with respect and praise her. Her husband joins in the praise. Proverbs 31:28
