Mothers give and give and give to their children. Giving is just part of the job description. Mothers are like gardeners who sprinkle water from their own reserves to make sure that everything stays growing. Unfortunately if I as a mother allow my wellspring to get completely empty then I have nothing more to give and everyone suffers. Today I realized that I haven’t been doing enough to keep my wellspring full. Fortunately there are a few small changes I can make that I think will make a huge difference.
I will read from my scriptures every day. This gives my brain and spirit something meatier to nourish them than the usual light reading I default into.
I will do something every day to make my home more beautiful. It may just be doing the dishes and wiping the counters, but sometimes I’ll try to do longer lasting things like planting flowers or (gasp) repainting a room.
I will do something active every day. Right now the default for this is walking Link home from school, but anything that gets me moving will do.
I will write something every day. It might be a fragment of story, it might be a journal entry, but writing focuses my thoughts and makes me feel like I actually did something measurable. I’ll probably be putting most of it in here because feedback makes writing more rewarding.
Each week I will schedule some time for a project that is mine. It might be sewing, it might be a trip to the hardware store, it might be an early morning birdwatching jaunt. The important bit is that I plan ahead for it and it is something that I want to do not something that someone else asked of me.
Thought processess like the one above are one of the reasons I love going to church. In church meetings topics are discussed that bring inspiration to my mind and I understand my life in new ways. Today the lesson made me realize how discouraged I’d been feeling lately. In almost the same moment that I identified discouragment as my problem, everything I wrote above flooded into my head as a solution. Inspiration is wonderful.
You give inspiration too, my friend — be aware of the high esteem in which those who know you hold you. Perhaps this can be another sort of reserve.
Best wishes.
===|==============/ Level Head
It’s not often that something I read has a large effect on how I understand myself, but this did.
I’ve found myself tired, listless and mostly demotivated for the past several weeks and I suspect the reason is similar. I’ve been either working or doing stuff for other people. I also haven’t been writing, relaxing with friends or doing anything active for quite some time.
Thank you.
Go, you. (:
Based on what I read of yours, I’m only hoping that if I ever get a chance to do the mom thing, I handle it with the grace and care you do. (:
Glad to have unintentionally helped. 🙂