Stretching

It's always so satisfying to reflect on those things that used to feel so stressful, but now are no big deal. It makes me feel like I've made progress, and gives me hope that someday I'll also move past those things that are worrying me now! So for Mothers Day, here is a list of things I love about this current stage of being a mother:

• Babies that snort
• Exchanging glances with an older child about something funny a younger child is doing
• Planning things I know (not just hope) the kids will like
• Laughing at things just because my kids think they're funny
• Kids making jokes that are actually funny
• Older kids taking care of of younger kids, and doing a good job of it
• Younger kids gazing adoringly up at bigger kids
• Having zero anxiety about what/how much the children are eating
• Knowing that all the stages pass 
• Less embarrassment when someone misbehaves in public 
• Holding hands, large and small
• Homemade presents made in secret
• Two-way gospel discussions
• Overhearing late-night giggles coming from both the boys' bedroom and the girls' bedroom
• Children that come to be snuggled after a nightmare
• Private jokes between kids that leave me baffled
• Expecting competence and getting it
• Kids who can fix things as well as break them 
• Kids reading to me
• Baby-soothing expertise
• Breast-feeding expertise
• Being able to predict what will come next
• The occasional total surprise about what comes next
• 2-year-old chatter
• Making people warm
• Singing to and rocking a sick child in a dark house
• Cooking dinner together
• Hearing about when other people like my children
• Knowing Heavenly Father entrusted the care of these amazing people to ME for awhile

Making a home for all the ones I love best, with their help, is the best work in the world. As Samuel Johnson said, "To be happy at home is the end of all human endeavor," and I'm so grateful to be pursuing that end! 

(Last year's thoughts on Mother's Day—here)