“You were teaching me before I ever knew it…Welcoming me into the Sisterhood of Mothers”
Isn’t it amazing to be a woman! I have had such a crazy few weeks between the everyday life of running my business and household, helping out with a women’s gathering at church, becoming an “auntie” again and Mothers Day; I am all sorts of charged up on the glorious state of being a woman and even more…a Mother!
In reflecting on the blessing of motherhood and of being a woman, whether you bear children or not, I am reminded of one incredible phrase…
“I am who my Creator made me to be…Worthy” 
This past weekend made me want to celebrate and recollect on all the amazing women in my life who have helped to shape me into the person I am today. Women that God put in my path that were examples of grace and compassion, strength and poise and most importantly, love. I also gained a realization that my impact on other women , including my daughters and surrogate daughters (aka my basketball team), is of great importance and I count the opportunity as a pure blessing each and every day. It is in fact their presence in my life that reminds me of the person I continue to strive to be, of who I believe my God has made me to be. It is certainly a call to action or in some cases inaction!
I was raised by possibly the strongest woman you can imagine. She was gritty and tough when she needed to be. She maintained a career (even changed careers to better provide for my sister and I), developed a loving home, somehow managed to accomplish all the regular mom goals with two super active kids all by herself, taught us the importance of faith and raised my sister and I to truly believe that we could accomplish anything we put our minds to if we were willing to work for it! It is quite remarkable thinking about how she managed everything….I can’t imagine functioning day to day without my Husband helping out! Even more so, she lost her own Mother at a very young age to cancer; her support system and friend. It makes me truly thankful to have the blessing of my Mother to be a presence in the lives of my children. I gift for which I will be forever thankful.
I am also very grateful for other amazing women that I have come across at all stages in my life that impacted me in almost every way. A grandmother that shared a love for simple pleasures like the miracle of growing flowers in your garden and great-grandmother who was not only an entrepreneurial pioneer in her small community but also the matriarch of our family and had no problem keeping my grandpa in line, even as a grown man. The mothers of many of my friends in elementary school and high school who welcomed me into their homes and whom gladly would have cared for any need I had and knew my mother did the same for their daughters; one of which could also give a glare to us teenagers in the back pews of the church on Sunday morning that made everyone within its path take notice and start shouting “amen!” Our pastor’s wife in the small country church I grew up in that loved so deeply and shared an amazing relationship with her Husband; multiple teachers in the elementary and high school I attended that taught me passion for topics I was interested in and how to turn that passion into a career as well as the importance of social conscience – the tiny community in which I grew up knew how to take care of its members in times of joy and in the depths of despair. College friends who warm my heart by just keeping in touch and seeing this families grow! My first “real” boss when I was straight out of law school was an outstanding mentor, she was accomplished yet humble, very poised and stringent with detail but also kind and caring, especially to those within her inner circle, and super supportive as I took the first steps of independence in my legal career. The ladies in my women’s group at church that I have only recently met, but have given me an outlet like no other, that brings me closer to God and the woman and mother I was meant to be each day just by being around them and sharing our crazy family stories or kid catastrophes! And finally, my own two daughters and basketball team, which I have had the true blessing to watch grow into amazingly wonderful young women and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them or how they will impact their communities, families and the world!
It is abundantly clear to me that being a woman is of great importance; even God ordained Mary to be the mother of the Savior and his supreme supporter even until the end. Mary was trusting of God and his plan, courageous, strong in character, and accepting of her role in this life, even if it wasn’t easy or popular! Isn’t that what we as women strive to be; whether we are blessed with little tornadoes in our homes or not, we all have the ability to impact others around us in positive ways – and in the same ways God called Mary to impact the world.
So my friends, welcome to the Sisterhood of Mothers or maybe better put the Sisterhood of Strong, Courageous, Compassionate, Loving and Impactful Women…go forward and support the women in your life, love them, and be a woman whose presence will positively influence the lives of those around you.
Commence the laundry blitz! Its Friday morning, the kids are FINALLY back in school. Husband has a meeting and is out of the house. He graciously folded a mountain of laundry which now inhabits the dining room table and will surely increase the amount of clothes hidden in our bedrooms that already needs put away! I am so desperate not to have to deal with this mess any longer that I rescheduled an appointment in my office to eek out a precious hour to run around my house like crazy destroying laundry piles in my path! I have exactly one hour…On my mark, get set, GO!
These drawers are not stylish by any means and I am sure there are nicer ways to organize this collection but for my 7 year old these drawers work like a gem! And I’m not overly mad when he “accidentally” marks on them with permanent marker. The clear plastic drawers allow him to see the contents while keeping it all contained in one place, well sorta!
While some may argue that this incessant action is a sign of emerging mental illness, I point to that fact that for a large family with multiple commitments, it is the only way I have found to survive and get to all the places we need to be and accomplish all the tasks required in a week! Occasionally, I feel a little like Edgar Allan Poe, giving in to the voices in my head and embracing the madness. While I am far from hearing my beloved lists beckoning me from the floorboards and quoting “Nevermore” from the bedroom windows, I do try to view this list-making hysteria as a tool for relaxation and stress-relief rather than a burden. Getting my thoughts and nagging reminders out of my head and onto an app or notebook is a huge relief for my sanity!
it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us and frankly, you wouldn’t be reading this post otherwise! We hold these thoughts everyday of our lives, even when we are washing our 18th load of laundry or in the middle of an important meeting at work or at a parent-teacher conference to discuss why our little one licks the desk, or even when we are away on a much deserved “adult” weekend with daddy! Even though we as mom’s always feel this way without a shadow of a doubt we are often so busy, working cleaning, organizing, chauffeuring and trying to survive that we do not take the time to truly relish in the joys of motherhood! Sure, as we kiss them goodnight and say bedtime prayers we take in those moments and they renew our strength and bond, but if we are honest with ourselves, sometime during the hour it takes you to wrangle the Lil booger to bed you weren’t thinking how precious motherhood is, but whether or not you think you could stay awake long enough for that much needed glass of wine you had promised yourself if this nocturnal beast would ever go to sleep!!!
A Backyard Life 