Welcome, friends, to another Memoir Monday!
as well as some info on the blog hop.
I hope you'll consider linking!
And please visit the bloggers who have joined in!
They've made this blog hop successful and inspirational!
With Mother's Day on the horizon, less than a week away,
I began thinking about this very special vocation
with which many of us are abundantly blessed.......
I began thinking about this very special vocation
with which many of us are abundantly blessed.......
and reflected:

Life is lived around here
between slicing apples into turtle sized bites, one just rescued from certain
death crossing a busy road bordering our development. And the supplying of a desperately
needed Tupperware for grubby, muddy little boy hands to house a beetle, cricket
or worm.
And generally
coasting through our brimming and busy days around ratios,
circumference, the Pythagorean theorem, Earth science reference tables, test tubes, microscopes, assorted, strewn-about art supplies, Paul Revere’s midnight ride, half written essays on the causes of World War I, vocabulary lists, scattered violin and piano sheet music, baseball game schedules, self imposed writing deadlines, cleats, mitts,
a bottomless laundry basket, always-dueling John Wayne impressions,
homeschooling paperwork, tests, workbooks and inexplicably multiplying piles of
legos and tech equipment. Oh yeah. And lots of noise.
Despite all this though, and the fact that I never, ever get five uninterrupted minutes ( as all homeschooling Moms can also attest) and the fact that it's taken me four hours off and on to type to this point in the post due to life's demands ( demands which I loooove, yet wipe me out) and that as I type this, I'm mediating some sort of dispute over who's music stand is in who's bedroom and not in the den where he swears he left it and who's turn it really is to unload the dishwasher and really how could you possibly think that the turning of the plot in' The Impossible Astronaut' is the scene in which The Doctor says, .......okay, well, you get it. When they start arguing over Stephen Moffat's true intent in season 5, you know it's time to throw in the towel for the day ...... Yup, here’s the thing:
I
don’t miss it. You know, working.
For pay. Outside my home. I don’t want it back. Not anymore. I’m not looking to be
fulfilled by looking beyond my home and my family.
Is this too provincial? Too
June Cleaver-backwards? Well, June Cleaver sans pearls and heels. Because I'm not a pearls and heels person.
That I choose to stay home and not only like, I love, revel in, am passionate about, feel blessed by what I do?
That I choose to stay home and not only like, I love, revel in, am passionate about, feel blessed by what I do?
That I am called to
tend my home, keep the hearth, teach the children.
And not part time.
That I maintain the best living and learning
happens in the heart of my home?
That despite feminine strides for “equality,” I say, “Take
THAT, twenty-first century. You can keep the norms and expectations of our
times. I’m not buying into this.”
Because I know, I truly know, without a doubt as do many, many Moms, growing legions of mothers, that the feminist agenda is harmful to women. It’s harmful to
children and families. It’s harmful to the future of our country.
I choose to work for Him. This is my calling.
Is my homeschool brimming with charity, energy and
momentum? Waves of productivity and swells of creativity? How about
Thoreau-like jaunts into the woods to immerse in our art? Picture perfect? No
way.
And that's not really the point, is it?
No, my life is real. And unkempt and disorganized,
disheveled, sometimes undone, burnt, unvacuumed, tardy, unmet, unwashed, wounded
and just plain, lacking something,
sometimes.
But what it doesn't lack is the love. and the purpose and the certainty
that this is where I prefer to be.
Thank you for spending some of your precious time today
here at my home on the web!
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Until next time,
Beautiful as always, Chris. Your vocation is so meaningful and our work is in a way linked to Christ's work...to Our Lady's work...
ReplyDelete"I came to serve, not be served." Christ could have come into the world in ANY way. He chose the family and it's a high honor to serve our family.
God bless yours, Chris.
Allison,
DeleteLove when you stop by...thank you for the kind words and also the wisdom you share when you say << He chose the family and it's a high honor to serve our family.>>
True and a beautiful thought....Very profound and one that I never thought of....
Thank you, friend...
You read my heart, inside and out. Beautifully put!
ReplyDeleteAnd your friend Allison's comment on this post touched my heart too: "Christ could have come into the world ANY other way. He chose the family and it's a high honor to serve our family." Wow.
God bless you Chris, and your dear friends, you all inspire me both with your blog Chris and your friends' comments.
Much love and blessings to you,
Denice
Denice,
DeleteLove that you popped in and that you are sharing your thoughts....YOU, friend, have given me much inspiration as well!
The conversation that runs through comments can be so uplifting and meaningful, no?
I love that!!
I will rite you privately..Love your email. Love it.
Thank you for sharing such heartfelt thoughts.
xoxoxo
Have a lovely day, friend.
Chris, this is stellar and speaks to my soul as well. Having made some big adjustments this year after feeling compelled outside the home, not because my heart said so but because it seemed necessary, and then having burned out and returned to the hearth within a year, I can say with more conviction than ever that there's no place else I'd rather be. I do flit about and do work that ends up outside the home, but the feeling of being planted inside rather than outside, there's nothing to compare to it. I've lived it and know it from the inside-out. Thank you for your resonating ruminations. :)
ReplyDeleteRox, Thank YOU for sharing!
DeleteI appreciate no only the compliment on the piece, but also your sharing of thoughts on the issue....
Love when you say << the feeling of being planted inside rather than outside, there's nothing to compare to it. I've lived it and know it from the inside-out. >>
Thanks for sharing, Rox!
Much love, friend...
Oh Chris, those were some powerful words! Really spoke to my soul today! I just told someone earlier that I absolutely adore being at home! It is such an honor and a privilege! A lot of work too, but with many rewards! I just love creating a haven for my family and investing my life into my children's lives. Thank you for the encouraging words! I will be sharing this on my social media sites! ~Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
DeleteThank you for the lovely compliment and the shares....I appreciate your encouragement.:)
And yes, the work involved is unparalleled with few chances to refresh and revive.....It IS an honor; you are so right!
Love how you say you are creating a haven for your family.
Thank you for stopping in to say hi!
Thanks for hosting Chris! Your post is beautiful - especially the line "I choose to work for Him. This is my calling."
ReplyDeleteI've been under the weather but wanted to link up a book that I'm hosting a giveaway for this week. The author's writings remind me of yours - so I'm sure you and your readers would enjoy it as much as I did!
Have a blessed week and continue to
Create With Joy
http://create-with-joy.com
Thank YOU for the compliment and your kindness...I am heading over to your blog now to read your link which I know will be inspiring!
DeleteHave a lovely day!
Found and following through Smile With Us on Monday at The Seaman Mom blog.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you consider the work women do inside the home is not only work, but also a calling. The saying that "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world" is true! And congratulations for expressing your beliefs without judging those women who (for whatever reason) have no choice but to go outside of the home for additional employment. After all, God loves all of His children.
LuAnn~
DeleteThank you for your kind words and for taking the time to leave a comment!
Yes, I so agree that many do not have the privilege of staying home..and I do consider it a privilege.
Although my husband and I have saved tremendously in order for this to happen...driving a 23 year old car and a 14 yo car....no cable, no dinners out and coupon clipping etc, etc...
It's not something we take for granted, being able to provide on one salary ...and we do respect others and their decisions...
I am happy that came across...the non judgmental POV..thank you for saying that.
Have a lovely evening!
Love this Chris!! I absolutely adore being a SAHM! It is definitely "my calling" too. I feel you on the 4 hours to complete a post... We are so sidetracked by all the energy in the house. I, like you, wouldn't change a thing. Thanks for making me literally LOL this morning with your, as always, wonderful honesty!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks Candace:)
DeleteSO appreciate your time commenting and your visit here, friend!