What Really Matters

My house is not spotless. I have a pile of folded (surprise!) laundry sitting on my couch. There are a few dishes in the sink and there are some toys laying around. It's not a total disaster, but I'm not really satisfied with it, either. I feel like I have a million things to do.
And yet I am sitting on the couch reading my daughter a book. It's, "Are you my Mother?", a classic for sure. One of her favorites. She loves squealing and pointing out the dogie every time she sees it. We are learning to recognize the cow, chicken and cat. She knows what each of them "say", just needs a little prompting sometimes. :)
I am doing this because the Lord is teaching me what is important in life. He's teaching me how to be a better Mother. Every day I am obsessed with how my house looks. I am almost constantly doing dishes, straighting up, wiping counters, cleaning bathrooms or vacuuming. Through all the flurry, Brookie plays by herself, following me around, making me laugh or frustrating me, depending on what she is doing. Yet I overlook her much too often. She is such a good baby and I really do not spend as much time with her as I should, hence the reading of books. We do it every day. It's a simple thing, something that every Mother does with her children and there is something so special about taking a break, sitting down and reading a book with your child. Or playing a game of memory, playing peek-a-boo, teaching them where their eyes and nose are. Because that is what really matters--being a Mommy to your kids--not being a maid to your house! (although that's important too, just in a different way)

My clean house will not be at my bedside when I am dying telling me what I great housekeeper I was and how I gave it a great life while I lived in it. Just the thought of that makes me laugh! However, my children (Lord willing) will be there. I pray that they will rise up and call me blessed and remember the little things that I did with them, because the Lord helped me to remember that my job in life is to be the best Mother that I can be.

I am aiming to do just that.