A weary mama's morning offering

By Jaime Cheaney

Dear Jesus, I offer you my sufferings today.  The lack of sleep, messy house, never-ending laundry, marathon nursing sessions, and squabbling children.  I especially offer up the feeling that I am failing as a parent.  I entrust myself and my entire family to your care, knowing You are in control.

Please unite my sufferings with Yours on the cross, using them to bring others to know You.  Please comfort those who pray for a baby, those who mourn the loss of a child, and the neglected children unloved by anyone but You.

Jesus, I thank you for every late night teenage heart-to-heart, every sloppy kiss and snuggle, and even the constant busyness.  Every day with my family is a gift.  Please give me Your heart and Mother Mary’s simple yes to Your will.  Guide me as I teach this to my children.
In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

**The picture above is one of my favorites.  I took it standing at the foot of the crucifix statue at the Black Madonna Shrine in Eureka, Missouri.

Jaime blog at Fruitful Mama.

What is really important in life?

By Melanie Jean Juneau

 

Nordic Madonna by Neuhuys (Wikimedia Commons).

 When Life is Stripped Down to The Basics

One afternoon before Easter, I was ironing cotton dresses and shirts for church the next day. Six year old Claire watched for a while and then pointed to the iron and asked,

“What is that mummy?”

I laughed because I realized that this little girl had never seen me iron; I usually used the clothes dryer as my wrinkle smoother when I wasn’t looking for perfection but rather efficiency. Actually it was not just the iron that seldom received attention as I mothered a large family, something that I considered essential was eliminated from my life with the birth of every child.

Painting portraits went with my first-born. Other births gave the boot to crafts, dusting, bread making, interesting meals and laundry folding ( each child dressed out of their own personal laundry basket). As every mother knows, a newborn takes at least eight hours a day to nurse, burp, rock and comfort, bath, change clothes and diapers( at least ten times a day), and to wash diapers, clothes, receiving blankets, sheets and baby blankets as well as your clothes which tend to get covered in vomit, and other nasty surprises.

The lack of sleep leads to a rather narrow existence where the best days are when you can sneak in a nap or shower and dress before noon. Oh, those were the days when life was reduced to the basics.


Continue reading at Melanie's blog joy of nine9.