It was on of those days.  The kids have been going crazy in the house because it’s been raining.  The sun finally came out.  So I jumped at the chance to take the kids outside.  We have a path that tends to get muddy and of course they found it.  Who wouldn’t. 

I could have told them they couldn’t play in it but what fun would that be. They rolled up their pants, took off their shoes and squeeze their little toes in the mud. They jumped. They throw. They laughed.  

The laughter and pure joy they had. I’ve learned that motherhood is not about all the laundry, dishes, spit up, dirty diapers, and sleepless nights. No it is about discovering life together. It’s about making meal a together. Getting everyone involved and forgetting about the mess we make. It’s about calling up friends and meeting at the park. It’s about spontaneously stopping at the lake on the way home from the store. You don’t need bathing suits and towels to have fun. 

It’s about creating memories. It’s about teaching my kids to enjoy life and seeing God through it all.  Its about teaching my kids to pray at all times, in the car, when they are sad, and thank God for everything. It’s about realizing what is important and valuable.  

Embracing motherhood means to become like a child. Finding life’s simple joys. A deer out the window. Dancing to the music in the car. Running in the supermarket with my kids in the cart. Oh yes, and letting my daughter hide in a box in the bottom part of the shopping cart at Aldis.

Motherhood has taught me how to see things as a child.  It has taught me the joys of childhood and life.  God calls us to be more like children.  Because children don’t measure the risk.  They just do it.

What are a few things that you remember from your childhood that brought you joy?  Do you still do them?