Above is my desk area. It is where my computer is and where I sit to do blogging and paper work. Here is where I was sitting this evening in my quiet house, and for the first time in a while, I have had some time to reflect. Since the visit of my middle daughter and the short amount of time it presented for us to be together, it has given me reason to think back over the years of motherhood.

Where did it all go?

How did it go by so quickly?

And, what would I do differently if I could do it all over again?

Do you ever stop and think about questions like this?

Here we are together in 1988. When I look at this picture, on one hand it seems like only yesterday, and on the other hand it seems like many years ago.



Nine years later, this picture was taken during the summer of 1997.

And now thirteen years later, someone kindly took this for us last week, at our daughter's baby shower.
We have added six more to our clan and one more on the way.
Motherhood is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities in the world. I've made my fair share of mistakes. There are many things I've learned during the last few years that I wish I would have known back then.

I would say that most of all I have learned that I do not know near as much as I thought I did. I am no longer quick to tell other mothers what to do. Sometimes answers aren't as black and white as I once thought they were. Before I offer my free advice to young mothers, perhaps "walking a mile in their shoes" might be recommended. All of our journeys are different.

But, one thing I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt, is dependence on my Heavenly Father and the times of casting my cares and decisions on Him, provided more peace and direction for me than I could ever have imagined.

Lots of times I did worry, but let me tell you, the times I prayed caused me far less stress in my parenting journey. So many "firsts" that your children face can cause a real uneasiness in a mother's heart;

~their first baby shots

~their first day of school

~their first formals in middle school and then high school(especially if one is a mother to three daughters)

~the first time they drove out of the driveway on their own

~when it is late at night and they are still not home

The list goes on and on. And, let me tell you, it continues on even with adult children, only it comes in a different forms. Now it is their turn to start the process all over again.

Afterall, I told them, " what goes around comes around."

My prayer for them, as they face their future, is that they remember the One who promises His love, direction and wisdom for this wonderful, and yet quite challenging job.