Interruptions Are Really Blessings

I sit down with my tea, savoring the quiet of the moment and begin to type this sentence.

Baby asleep.  Check.
Hot cup of tea (microwaved for the third time today).  Check.
Other 3 kiddos happily playing in the backyard.  Check.

   by  Amani Karim 

I slowly let my guard down and begin to relax.

A piercing cry startles me and breaks the serene moment...

Princess Pickles (age 2) is upset... VERY upset.  I rush to her side to find blood... no, a  boo boo to kiss... no... I rush to her side to find a teeny, tiny bug.  I flick the bug away and become the hero.  I now have a minnie me beside me as I try to type. "Momma... that bug scared me".  "I know sweetie, but that little bug was just trying to say "hi" to you."  "No, Momma, that was NOT a happy bug. ...  I sit with you now."   I sigh and pat the cushion next to me.  She snuggles in close as I resume typing.  The tea is still warm, I take another sip.

Pickles presses a few buttons on my screen, words get bigger... words get smaller... words disappear.  Ugh!

I tell her to stop or else she will have to sit alone in a different chair.  She grins impishly while apologizing.  She lays her head on my side.  I hear the front door open.

 
 by  audi_insperation 

Clomp, clomp, clomp.  The boys enter the house, mud still on their boots.  "We are done playing Mom".  I ask them to put their boots by the door.  A voice remarks "Oh yeah" as feet thud against the linoleum making their way back to the mat by the door.  A nice little trail of earth following  every step. I make a mental note to vacuum (for the second time today) before the baby wakes up.

With boots removed and rosy cheeks the boys hover around me waiting for ... I really don't know what for.

I look up and smile and ask if they had fun.  Stories of mud, bug eggs, and adventure tumble out of their mouths like the last of the dry leaves blowing around outside.  I listen and then they lean in closer to see the screen.  "Oh, are you working on your blog?"  "Yes, I am typing a new post."   I grab my tea... it is cold.  I drink it anyway.

I have been trying to find time to type out a blog post for over a week now.  I am met with children at every turn needing something.  A drink, a snack, a diaper change, a band aid, advice, a book to be read, a new shirt because of a spill, a trip to the potty, help with math, a trip to the corner, a snack, a judge and jury, a hug, a kiss, a tea party, a coloring buddy, a snuggle, a top shelf toy, a snack, a question answered... as they talk to me through the door of the bathroom.  At times I become frustrated.  Why can't I just have a few moments TO MYSELF.

Well, that is an easy question to answer.  The reason is in front of me.  Four sweet faces who call ME "Momma".

As a stay at home Mom I could have lots of moments to myself but that would mean that someone else would be teaching my children, someone else would be enjoying the flicker of recognition in my my son's eyes as he figures out his math problem and someone else would be enjoying his jubilant smile. It means someone else would listen to my eleven year old recite his lines for Comedy of Errors and answer his questions about girls, God, and the Bible.  I could have lots of free time if I put my baby and my two year old in day care and let someone else change their diapers, read them stories, rejoice as the baby crawls and walks for the first time, and teach Pickles her ABC's.

Please do not misunderstand what I am saying.  Many Momma's work outside the home because they have to, or feel that they have to... I DO NOT have to nor am I made to feel like I have to.  I am blessed to be at home willingly and freely and when the interruptions come, I need to remind myself that the free time WILL come.  I will have lots of it when the pitter patter of little feet are no longer heard, when I will no longer find doodle drawings of super heros on my grocery list, stuffed animals tucked into my cupboards, or Candy Land pieces in the refrigerator.  I will have free time when my children no longer need me to teach them or are too far away to snuggle up on the couch and read a story together.  Oh those years will come and all too soon.  So, when I am having a mini pity party that my tea is cold and it takes me a week to type a blog post I need to step back and realize that these days are fleeting and 

these interruptions to my life are actually 

my blessings 

and they make my life worth living.

I have been reminded recently of just how weird it is to NOT have my kids with me all the time.  My oldest is in a play that is nearing production time and his rehearsal schedule takes him away from the home as much as a part time job lately.  He loves it... and I love seeing his passion for Shakespeare and drama.  However, his absence in the house is palpable.  We all miss him.  The first few days were weird and by the end of the week we were all going through withdrawl.

It was a good reminder for this Momma to see how woven together we are as a family.  We are all so connected to one another... six individuals, six sets of hands and feet, but our heart beats as one.


As you go about your day today picking up another pile of toys, wiping up the third spill, changing diapers and wiping bottoms, and reading Green Eggs and Ham for the fifth time BE CAREFUL not to believe the lie that what we are doing is inconsequential.  These little interruptions to our "me time", time spent kissing boo boos, reading books, pottying children, and disciplining, these moments all help shape and mold the next generation, and the one after that, and even the generation after that.

We are raising up warriors that will help mold and shape history... warriors that need to be fed, loved and read to NOW, warriors that need to feel their value and worth at 11 months old, two years old, five years old, or eleven years old or twenty years old. They need to know THIS DAY that they are valued, for who knows what they will face tomorrow.

Enjoy these moments that seem mundane because they truly DO become what matters.

Grace and peace,
Dawna