Dear Weary Mom ...

Even welcomed transitions can be hard. We have one coming here. It's a small one, but sometimes the small ones are the ones that smack us in the face when we're least expecting them. School is {almost} out for the summer. Tomorrow is my girl's last day of kindergarten.

Cate was made for school. She likes hoarding school supplies, but she uses them too. She writes and draws and creates and learns and remembers and documents. She's a reader and asks millions of questions. She likes making new friends. She generally obeys and follows rules. But even she's ready for a break.

This school year has been good for our family. Deciding to enroll our daughter in a small, private Christian school was a big decision, especially for me. But I've gotten to know God better while I volunteer in those hallways and classrooms. And Cate has gotten to know you better while memorizing scripture, learning to count money and tell time, creating lots of refrigerator art, and writing stories.

But even the best of things can make us weary. Sometimes the journey is exhausting, even when it's filled with blessings. I'm ready for a break from the alarm clock and the homework and carpool that didn't work out like I planned.

I'm always surprised to remember Jesus was tired along his journey. He was going from Judea to Galilee through Samaria. "...and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon." {John 4:6} Y'all. It was lunch time. And Jesus was tired. He'd be going from place to place, trying to teach and instruct people along the way. When he was sitting by the well, he asked a Samaritan woman to give him a drink and a ministry opportunity presented itself.

Weary mom, we've been there. We've been tired before lunch because we go from place to place, trying to care for these people who depend on us. Sit down. Take a drink of water. Jesus tell us to come to him. And remember you are not alone and this season is not forever. This is just one stop on the journey.

Samaria was changed because of that conversation at the well. Samaria knew about living water that always satisfies because Jesus, even when he was weary, spoke truth and made a difference. Really, that's not all that difference from our lives as moms.

So, yes, I'm ready to sit by the well.

I'm ready for afternoons at the pool.

I'm ready for impromptu lunches with friends at the park.

I'm ready for free time, when the kids have to use their imaginations and I can let some creative juices flow.

I'm ready for less commitments on the calendar.

I'm ready to pick strawberries and then blueberries and maybe even blackberries.

I'm ready for a getaway with my husband.

I'm ready for bedtime to be more flexible.

I'm ready for walks to Dairy Queen and the snow cone shack.

I'm ready for the sunshine that tints my kids' skin and makes us dirty and sweaty and tired in the best ways.

I'm dreaming of summer, friends. But that doesn't mean all our summer days are going be perfect. There will be messes and interruptions and plans that fall apart. People will disappoint us and not react like we think they should. Some days rain will keep us inside. Most days will be humid. We will be weary.

But God can be glorified in the imperfections. The truth can be made known in ordinary moments along the journey, even when we want to rest and have someone give us a drink of water.

And I have to remind myself to balance work and play. The writing and lake house managing needs to get done, and it will. But the lengthy to-list will always be around. Yes, I will fulfill my commitments, but it all doesn't have to get done today. I need to repeat that for myself: Not every last thing has to be done right now. 

Sometimes right now is better spent pushing my boy on the swing, going on family walks, playing Uno, and really hearing that song my girl is making up. Jesus decided to spend a couple days in Samaria because the people asked even though his destination was Galilee. {John 4:40}

These days aren't going to be perfect, but these are the days we have. I really do want to make the most of them, realizing life is a journey that changes us and the people around us. To get from here to there, we have to be willing to endure the road, go through transitions, sit down awhile, and let others walk with us.

Come along, weary mom. We're in this together.
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I'm linking up with Hope For the Weary Mom, Jill Savage's blog hop about No More Perfect Days, and Chasing Blue Skies, where this week's Out of the Blue prompt was to share how a passage of scripture surprised us. You'll find encouragement at all of these pleases. 

If you want even more encouragement, "No More Perfect Moms" by Jill Savage is available at Amazon for $10.29 {paperback} or $7.76 {Kindle} and "Hope For the Weary Mom" by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothin is available at Amazon for $4.99 {paperback and Kindle}.

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