Another good friend tells me, "The only thing I wanted was to grow up and be a mom."
"How about you?" They ask me.
I look at both of them.
I had to think about it. I wanted to.... be a nun. Yes, a nun.
I thought it was the best way to serve God,at the time.
Frankly, it was between becoming a nun because of God or wanting to get married and have children-even though children scared me.
They were foreign beings to me.
I wasn't around them much.
I babysat for my cousin when I was in high school. She had two little boys.
She left strict instructions about their bedtime.
I tried to comply.
But, Jimmy, the oldest, didn't want to go to bed and threw a royal fit.
He finally climbed into his top bunk, and kept yelling.
He started out, "I'm going to tell...I'm going to tell my..." and I guess figured he better not tell his parents, and said, "I'm going to tell the police, I'm going to tell the police!I don't want to go to bed!"
He stayed in bed. He stopped screaming and went to sleep.
He was three years old.
His screaming traumatized me for a long time.
I wondered how his parents did it.
I babysat for my high school choir teacher. She had two sweet little kids. Ah, what a relief.
I actually enjoyed babysitting.
One of her children was just months old.
He slept most of the time I was there,but I remember watching him sleep.
How tiny, how perfect.
His sister was a sweet toddler.
I thought it might be fun to have children, someday.
Obviously, becoming a nun did not happen.
I found I could serve God, and not be a nun!
My life brought momhood.
One, then two, then three....
I have five children.
Who'd have thought!
Yes, five.
We went for walks - two in the double stroller, two walked beside the stroller and one was in a snugli.
Oh, the looks I'd get.
"Are all these yours?"
One time I answered, "Actually, we wanted ten, but settled for five."
Our pastor at the time said, "I know the Bible says multiply and subdue to the earth, but He didn't mean just you."
I don't see five as being many.
They came one at a time, so we adapted as we went along!
'Lined up to take showers.
One cereal bowl or five...not a big deal.
One time, a friend and I, her four and my five, took a short road trip in her stationwagon (years before everyone had to have a carseat, or we would have not been able to pull this off.)
We stopped for gas in a small town, and someone asked us if we had a pres-school.
We laughed for miles at the look on the man's face when we said, no, the children all belonged to us.
There have been cuts, scrapes, bruises, black eyes and stitches.
There have been times when I thought I'd never stop laughing, and times when I thought I'd never stop crying.
There have been nights with no sleep because of sickness, or waiting to hear the front door.
There were nights when we piled in one bed and laughed. Nights we stayed up late and watched movies.
There were Mother's Day mornings when my little ones brought me breakfast in bed.
The joy of momhood has been mine.
It is the highest calling of my life.
It was the plan.
God knew.
I say to my children today, "Thank you! I celebrate Mother's Day!"
I love you my five.
Happy Mother's Day, mothers.
