It was about this time last year that I received some good advice that has helped me in my journey of counting joys. As a pregnant Mama to an active, almost-2-year-old boy, I’d ask any other moms that I came across, “How do you do it? How do you manage everything with more kids?”
That was my concern, because I like to finish what I start. And I like to fully commit to my tasks. With my busy Little Man, and playful puppy, it already felt challenging to balance quality time with my husband, our son, and then having my hands free for enough moments to finish cleaning, plan a tutoring lesson, work on our house search, or prepare for my preschool class. I wondered how that balancing act would look when there would be two boys, a toddler and a baby.
“How do you do it?” I’d freely ask other moms who were a couple steps ahead of me. And the answer that has stuck with me the most has given me the most peace when I need to be reminded of what’s really important.
“You can’t be in a hurry.”
That’s exactly what I needed to hear.
Because when I’m in a hurry, interruptions aren’t important. Sticking to a plan is.
When I’m in a hurry, the clock becomes my idol. And that might require sacrificing a peaceful attitude.
I definitely think it’s important to honor time commitments that have been made to other people. But as much as it’s in my control, I want the people who are in my life in each moment to know that they are more important than any personal agendas that I have.
As a Mommy to two little boys, I definitely find more joy in loving them than in accomplishing whatever plans I’ve set out for the day. In fact, my most important plan each day is to love people!
And I want that to be evident by being peaceful instead of losing my temper, because I know that their noise and energy is a gift.
I want it to be evident when I don’t worry about being late after changing our Buddy’s clothes 3 times because he kept spitting up on them.
I want it to be evident when I cheer on our Little Man when he slowly, slowly climbs and scoots down the hand rails on our way out of church.
Being a Mommy to two sweet boys has changed my perspective on time management. Every morning I must remind myself that it’s more important to have a peaceful, loving attitude than to be in a hurry. Because at the end of the day, I’d rather rejoice in the memories I made with my boys, even if they started out as interruptions, than in getting somewhere on time.
joy: My newfound freedom in not hurrying.
Are you sure you still want to look at it?” But as we pulled up the driveway to the 8th house of the day, we all sensed that there was something special about this one.
