REAL POEMS FOR REAL MOMS - WEEK 2 PGS. 21 - 40

REAL POEMS FOR REAL MOMS by Rachel S. Donahue

I want to start this week off by saying how much I enjoyed the sharing that went on last week. This book brings out the sweetness of motherhood, but it also shares the weariness and frustrations that occur along the journey as well.

With that being said I have to start with "It's Going to be a Good Day." I don't know if since having children I have had a day that has gone exactly as planned. I've let go of that expectation, and I'm a firstborn. Those of you who are as well know that we are trailblazers, "do it or die all the way" mentality. Lack of sleep is a real thing even today with 4 in their teens and twenties and 1 under 12. They love late nights! The house can be a mess. Dishes and clothes multiply like rabbits. Every appliance around here beeps at me constantly. We are always running about 10 minutes late. But it's going to be a good day, because for me, I would take this over any other career. I am constantly reminding myself to put my "best foot forward," because that is all I can do, and Donahue's right. God's mercies are new in the morning when I fall flat on my face.

The "Diaper Haikus' just keep me rolling with laughter. Sunday morning blowouts felt like a weekly event just as we were about to load in the car for church.

"Whosoever Planteth a Tree" is going to be my third poem. I loved the line " In a world of the instant, the planting of a tree is an act of sheer defiance- a statement to the world that significant things take time to grow." Most days we are entering a battlefield when we step out the front door, and I don't know about you, but that is what exhausts me the most about parenting. It's the constant bombardment of Now, Now, Now, and Agenda, Agenda, Agenda! Being faithful and present in the growing up days of our kids is so important. Sucker branches will shoot out of our young trees, but if we are there, we can help them prune those back.

I hope you enjoyed this week's reading as much as I have. I find Donahue to be such a breath of fresh air in the face of reality. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.