Early Morning Momma Thoughts

It’s dark outside.
I’m up early.

And my heart is sad and happy all at the same time. It’s a momma heart and it’s just apt to be like that.

My youngest will graduate college today. She’s already married and living on her own. In a couple weeks, my only one left at home will close on his house and be gone too.

And just like that, my nest will be empty.

It’s sad and happy, my momma heart.

I’m so thrilled my kids are flying on their own. I’m sad they won’t be with me as much.

We raise them to leave. I know that.

We raise them to not need us to do all the things we’ve worked tirelessly to do for them.

We raise them to not need us every second while we know, until we take our last breath, not a day will go by that our mother’s hearts won’t think of them and wonder if they need anything.

It’s sad and happy, all at the same time.

But, oh, what our hearts have learned as we’ve raised our kids. God knew exactly how to teach us to die to self.

We’ve learned to deny ourselves almost from the moment we learned of our babies—some as we’ve leaned over toilets with morning sickness that didn’t always just last for the morning.

Even that was sad and happy, all at the same time.

Time and time again we fought sleepy eyes to scoop that baby up from the crib and hold them to our breast while our husbands lay sleeping.

We’ve gone on to tell our kids how wonderful kindergarten was going to be as we cried rivers tears after dropping them off.

It’s sad and happy all at the same time.

Exhausted, we’ve sat down with that last piece of cake only to, instead, smile and feed it to the little one who jumped in our lap thinking it was for him all along.

It’s sad and happy all at the same time.

We’ve done what we’ve done because we love our babies more than we love ourselves and want the very best for them.

We’ve learned to do so freely, without expecting anything in return. And with that, we’ve caught just a glimpse of the Savior’s heart for us.

And while our love for our kids has been great. It has not been perfect. We’ve failed them. We all have made mistakes.

But the One, who loves our kids even more than we do, never fails and never makes mistakes.

His counsel is always wise. He never falls asleep with exhaustion. He will be there when we are not, and long after we draw our final breath.

In all we have endeavored to do for our kids, as we’ve raised them to leave us , let’s remember the One who will never leave them. Let’s keep pointing them to Him every chance we get. That job never ends.

And let’s also remember, that same God, who will be their help and hope, who will direct their steps and bring them joy, will do the same for us with each new day and each new season.

No matter whether that day is sad or happy, or a little bit of both. ❤️

Happy Mother’s Day weekend sweet friends!

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