Whew! To get that tiny human from the protection of our bodies into our arms is a grueling experience, to say the least. There is no pain comparable. Yea, yea, yea, we've all heard the stories from men about the pain of passing a kidney stone and how horrible it is. Have you seen the size of a kidney stone? Have you seen the size of a baby? End of argument.
That excruciating, crushing, near death pain is forgotten in an instant, though. The second that child is placed in our arms, we go from screaming to cooing, from agony to kisses and from a death grip on our husband's throat to gently stroking the sweet form in our arms.
Ahhhh, motherhood. It's all flowers and butterflies from here on out....right? Well, it depends from which perspective you are looking. When you're living in the moment, surviving on two hours sleep each night, staggering and running into walls from exhaustion, you may not see the butterflies, more likely you're seeing stars, but when your kids are grown and you sit in a quiet house reminiscing about your babies, you don't really focus on the sleepless nights, the tummy aches, and the incessant crying. You focus on the flowers and butterflies. You remember the soft touch as their tiny fingers wrap around yours. You remember the fluffy, downy head and the chubby cheeks and those huge eyes that take in everything around them.
I think back to the days of three little boys and one teenage girl. Have mercy. How did I do that? At the time I was just trying to get through the days with enough clean clothes for everyone, the laundry was never ending and I'm pretty sure it reproduced when I wasn't looking, but as I'm older now, I can see the flowers and butterflies when my teenage daughter was constantly lending a helping hand getting the laundry done.
At the time, I wondered how I was going to get my daughter to volleyball practice, my youngest to the elementary ball game, my middle son to the junior high game and my oldest son to the varsity game, plus get dinner and not forget to put my shoes on as I went out the door. But now I see the flowers and butterflies as I think about the anticipation of playing the games, the fun we had in our large van with everyone singing along to the radio, the long talks we had on the way home and constant barrage of fast food.
The energy and planning it took to have an "all nighter" at the Workman ponderosa with about fifteen to twenty rambunctious boys was overwhelming...the cooking (I'm talking pots large enough to fit a small pony into....have you ever fed one teenage boy, much less a tribe?) The furniture was pushed back against the walls, there was food scattered all through the house, mud on the floors, occasional blood, video game tournaments which included lots of yelling and my husband and I in bed with pillows over our heads. But now I see flowers and butterflies when I run into those young boys who are now grown men and they hug me and start talking about the fun times at my house, when I get a call or a text from one
of "my boys" asking me to fix some chili like I used to or wanting the recipe for it. When my son runs into one of "my boys" and my son says that this boy said to tell me that he loves me. That is definitely some flowers and butterflies.
I just want to encourage new mothers, young mothers, tired mothers that it is worth it. Every exhausting minute is a life time of memories. Every second is time that you make an impression on a little mind that will someday be making grown up decisions. Every glass of spilled milk or every trail of muddy footprints is an opportunity to teach love and patience. Even when you're so tired that the bedtime story puts you to sleep, it's a precious memory.
It's all over so quickly it seems like you just imagined it all. When you're older, sitting in a quiet house pondering on what used to be and your thoughts are interrupted by a grown man stomping in the door with kids in tow, and yells, "MOM!".......it's flowers and butterflies.
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
My flowers and butterflies.
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