Taking a quick phone call, Charlotte scooted her stool beside where I was working while starting supper. She climbed up and opened the silverware drawer. I lost the conversation between “uh-uhs” stirring green beans and repositioning the silverware. I turned around, and Eva jumped off the counter after grabbing some tape from my office cabinet. When she jumped, she took my planner and all the papers filed inside it with her. I stood there closing my eyes and mouth while the other end of the phone call still chattered. Turning back to my green beans, Charlotte had found the cheese dip I was disposing of and was using two spoons from the silverware drawer to disperse it all over the counter. “I am sorry, I said into the receiver, “But the sacrifice I made to answer the phone has cost me dearly. I am simply going to have to hang up now.”
I heard a preacher say, “Where were you when it was time to take the kids to church functions, camps, Christmas plays, and services. Stop being mad at a generation you did not invest in.” The statement struck my heart like a dagger. As I listened, I wondered if my girls would look back and see the emphasis placed on cultivating their futures – not that we didn’t show up.
Last summer, Ben, my nephew was going to go to a new Vacation Bible School (VBS). My sister and her husband had recently bought a new house in a new city, and this was to be his first time. Now, Brittney is more reserved than I am (hard to believe). There are only a few issues Brittney will address head-on; one being anything that concerns her family; secondly, the lack of M&Ms in the Keebler Chips Deluxe cookies.
My sister had many questions concerning the VBS program, so she asked a recent acquaintance attending the same program. She told me it was the most awkward conversation she had. It was as if the lady was unsure why my sister would ask questions. I reassured Brittney that smart moms ask questions- always. And never make apologies.
Purchase both Home Sweet Home Books I and II personally from me or locally at the Book Inn or on Amazon!
Overlooked shows itself in many different forms as a mother. Clothes neatly folded in dresser drawers are only noticed when empty, and privileges are only detected when taken away.
I remember when I was pregnant with Eva. I was pleased with my profession and decided I would not change my work schedule to accommodate our little baby girl. Eva would go to daycare. I do not have anything against daycare or preschool. But for me, I had always thought I would stay home, and now I was unwilling to even look at the options.
I shared my decision with my mother as she sat in our living room. She nodded silently, thinking to herself, “Did they not see me?” “All the years, I shelved my dreams for theirs. All the years I spent being home when they were home.” “Did they not even take notice?”
A few weeks passed, and I was walking that afternoon as usual. I began to feel every move Eva made inside my tummy. My heart was becoming attached before I even laid eyes on her. I wanted to spend every moment with my baby. But there was no way.
I could hear the Lord begin speaking to my heart. He said, “If you will only ask, I will create a way.” I began to pray and ask the Lord to make a way for me to stay home. He did. – (to read this story, click here). I saw my mother in all the places she thought I had missed. I wanted to give my children the same gift she gave my sister and me, her time.
Getting my teeth cleaned, the hygienist said, “Ya know, it’s funny watching my girls run past me to their dad as if I am not standing there. I just shake my head, wondering if they see me at all.” When she was finished cleaning my teeth, I encouraged her, “It wasn’t until I was older, but now, I see my mother in all the places I couldn’t see her as a child.”
Every mother knows what it is like to have dreams they can’t catch during certain seasons. But then there are some dreams I chase into bed every night, praying silently to myself that one day my girls will see me too.
Subscribe to receive my new stories each week and my newsletter each month with free scripture printables!
