In Honor and Praise of Mothers

Last year I purchased a wonderful book entitled "Errand of Angels: In Honor and Praise of Mothers". Elegant paintings of mothers and children paired with insights and quotes from various authors fill its pages. I was leafing through it this morning and read this gem of thought:

" Don't get so involved in the duties of your life and your children that you forget the pleasure.

Remember why you had children." --Lois Wyse

How easy it is to forget the real purpose of what we do in the home each day. Yes, having an orderly and tidy dwelling helps create a feeling of calm and peace, letting the Spirit of the Lord be with us. But often times I focus mainly on how many tasks have gone undone. The list of chores overwhelms me quite a bit. More than quite a bit. I wake up a lot of mornings and think, " How on earth can I do everything I need to??!" But I am happy to be reassured by this quote from Lois Wyse that the most weighty concern I should have is this- am I enjoying my little ones? Do they know that I enjoy them? Or do they feel second place when it comes to my priorities? I hope Benjamin, Hannah and Max never look back on these years and remember their mother worrying more about an imaculate home than worrying about their feelings, interests and needs. ( I doubt they'll think about the imaculate part-- my home is rarely imaculate. Did I just type "rarely"? I meant never:)

Moms, let's strive a little less on having a kitchen floor you could eat off of and a little more on feeding the hearts and souls of these precious people Heavenly Father has loaned us! I'll try if you will.