You know how sometimes there are somethings that only your mom can tell you. Tough things, the kind of things that you would only hear coming from someone who loves you, a lot. This past week mine told me one of those. It came as four simple words, and from a heart who really knows.
I complain to her, to many of you reading this, about how I never see Scott between school and work, how I'm not cut out for single parenting, how my children wake up at 6am, disciplining my dramatic two-year old, the list goes on (for a long time actually). It is easy to get focused on all these reasons, some of them quite valid, for feeling put out and totally overwhelmed.
She talked to me about her life while my dad was in law school.... 2 kids (at the beginning of 3 years, not the end), a sacrificed career, a non-existent budget for much of anything, and much more. I listened, feeling validated, amazed and very out-done in my so called "hard-life." But it wasn't until days later that she gave me her key to her survival, then and now.
So, straight from the post-it that now hangs on my mirror, here it is:
Focus on the Positive
Nothing really unique, but just very inspired. Life is hard. Really hard, and sometimes it stays that way for a while. It is in those moments, those years possibly, that our natures change (or have the opportunity to). If I ever want to share eternity with people who have sacrificed and survived much more than I ever will, I think I honestly need the hard times, need the opportunity to change. And so, I am sharing this hit-the-spot advice along with my ever-growing list of things I love about my life (coming soon).
