This morning Elliot came into the kitchen with a HUGE thank you for doing his mountain of laundry. If he was not sleeping in his bed last night I would have put the fresh sheets on his bed too. As we sat around the kitchen counter talking about the service of a mother I embraced how God has made me as a mother.
I shared with Elliot and David how my mother served me in my adult years and I now embrace the treasures now past along to me. My mother would allow me the freedom to just rest when in her home. She would jump in and care for the kids, jump in and do our laundry, prepare the meals, and free me up to do some things that maybe I never had time to do while being full time mommy. When she came to my home she would cook up a storm and fill my freezer, iron clothes that hung in my closet wrinkled, and do my mounds of laundry...even clean the bathrooms.
One weekend she came for a visit and I had a huge basket of ironing on my dryer. She jumped in and ironed it all. A couple months later she was coming for a visit and that basket was full once again and you know what, she did it all again. Who says that we have to stop serving our children once they grow up and are on their own? Do we take this black and white approach to parenting our adult children. Your are on your own now so figure it all out.
I was shown great love and service to my heart and soul when my mother stepped into my house. Some of my friends have complained over how their mother's come into their homes and "take over" and "control". My mother can come over and take over and control any time she wants and I am so blessed that my son sees this as a wonderful gift of service to him. Now as for the control part...hmmmm...should I toss some of these jeans with more holes than swiss cheese. Five years ago that would have been my choice. No longer.
My mother has not been so much in my life these past years yet even with the distance of time and geography I have learned some important things about mothering even into a child's adult years. It's a blessing to serve my children, and a gift that they would allow me. An even greater blessing to have had a mother to not just show me, but model serving in the ways that she did. Thanks Mom!!!
I completely agree with you on this one. As one who did not have am mother to do these types of things, you have been blessed. Now you get to bless those wonderful children of yours. And teach the rest of us that our kids don't stop being our kids at 18. That we can still be their mother. My day is now wonderful for reading your honest words. Take Care.
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