Invisible Mother......
"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that at once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book, told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.
We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance."
My Mom sent this to me the other day & I have read it at least 4 times. I think that all of us Mom's at one time or in most cases many times feels like this. I know that I have several times. Sometimes I get feeling like there is something that I'm missing out on in the world. If only I worked, then maybe I could be more fulfilled. I could have nicer clothes, get my nails done, have the newest perfume & smell amazing, be successful in my job and eventually become a manager, & have the praise from the company & respected by those in the community. Then, I take a step back & look at my life, yes, I may be in a pair of sweats, doing laundry, trying to decide what to make for dinner, trying to get Parker to actually sit on the toilet, rather than flushing shoe strings down & having to pay $100 for a plumber to come & get it out, because my toilet had been clogged for 2 days, getting Tess ready for dance or preschool. And in that moment, one of the kids will come & put their arms around my neck & tell me that they love me & give me a kiss on the cheek, & right then & there I know that no other reward or success in the world could top this one. This is where I am supposed to be, in My Home, with My Children, teaching & loving & providing the things that they are going to need to become successful, honest, & responsible adults, someday! One of my very favorite time of the day is when we gather at night for family prayer. I feel like this is one of the most important parts of the day, to come & pray together as a family & to take turns & listen to one another pray & pray for each other. What a blessing, I have to be able to be a Mother to these 2 precious children from our Heavenly Father, who put his trust in me. All I can do do ,is say Thank you! And be thankful that I have the opportunity to be an invisible mother!
"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that at once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England .. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book, told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Hope this encourages you when the going gets tough as it sometimes does.
We never know what our finished products will turn out to be because of our perseverance."
My Mom sent this to me the other day & I have read it at least 4 times. I think that all of us Mom's at one time or in most cases many times feels like this. I know that I have several times. Sometimes I get feeling like there is something that I'm missing out on in the world. If only I worked, then maybe I could be more fulfilled. I could have nicer clothes, get my nails done, have the newest perfume & smell amazing, be successful in my job and eventually become a manager, & have the praise from the company & respected by those in the community. Then, I take a step back & look at my life, yes, I may be in a pair of sweats, doing laundry, trying to decide what to make for dinner, trying to get Parker to actually sit on the toilet, rather than flushing shoe strings down & having to pay $100 for a plumber to come & get it out, because my toilet had been clogged for 2 days, getting Tess ready for dance or preschool. And in that moment, one of the kids will come & put their arms around my neck & tell me that they love me & give me a kiss on the cheek, & right then & there I know that no other reward or success in the world could top this one. This is where I am supposed to be, in My Home, with My Children, teaching & loving & providing the things that they are going to need to become successful, honest, & responsible adults, someday! One of my very favorite time of the day is when we gather at night for family prayer. I feel like this is one of the most important parts of the day, to come & pray together as a family & to take turns & listen to one another pray & pray for each other. What a blessing, I have to be able to be a Mother to these 2 precious children from our Heavenly Father, who put his trust in me. All I can do do ,is say Thank you! And be thankful that I have the opportunity to be an invisible mother!
1 comments:
Hey
What a perfect day to post this - even if nobody else in the world reads it - it as perfect for me! Do you mind if I copy it to my blog? I would like to say that I have been having one of those days but really it has been one of those "weeks"
Thanks for reminding me that someone else in the world is overwhelmed!
Victoria
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