embrace – taracogdell

Being a stay-at-home mom was always my first choice. Snuggling babies, seeing them do new things, playing with my kiddos during the day, and teaching them new things. I was looking forward to it all. And ultimately I didn’t trust a single soul to look after my babies but me. (Yikes, this is exactly how I felt.)

Now, staying home was a big sacrifice. I had just started teaching and making a salary to add to my husband’s for the first in our married life. It was nice. We were taking care of stuff, giving, and saving up for things we’d need in the future. But we made this transition together. Trusting God would provide but both a little uncertain on how He would. I felt uncertain if we could make this work or not. Six years later, I’ve felt some fears of staying home and not being able to add to our income as a family.

I recently read Rachel Hollis Girl Wash Your Face, and she wrote a chapter on embracing the mess. This chapter spoke straight to the heart of how I’ve been struggling. I haven’t been fully able to be with my kids because I’ve been fearful I should be working and providing more for our family. Or in the frustration thinking, I could be working and not messing with this junk. (Summer with all three kids!)

Something happened after I read that chapter, I knew that right now I’m want to embrace this mess of being a stay at home mom, and I feel like a mess most days. But this isn’t forever, I will work, I will add income to our family again one day. And God will direct all of those steps too.

So right now, my kiddos are watching disney, talking to me, my two year old is putting stickers on himself, and I’m writing. We can’t wait for it all to be perfect to move. I’m writing and doing things that help me feel purpose in these moments. Writing helps me stay present on the day. I get the huge opportunity to grow and write and read while I’m staying home. Which has been one of the greatest blessings. Getting to discover new things about myself and the things I enjoy.

So, if you’re a working mom embrace it, if you stay at home embrace it.

Don’t compare your mess to someone else’s togetherness.

Today let’s embrace it all.

I have all sorts of emotions, at any time of the day.

I’m joyful. I’m sad. I’m happy. I’m mad. (This sounds like a children’s book.)

But to say all this, you already know it. We are human. We feel.

I got overwhelmed by all the feels this past week. End of the school year. Excited to be with all three kids. Overwhelmed to be with all three kids, all day. I need a schedule. I’m terrible at following schedules. I need freedom. I felt so frustrated. I was quitting before I had even started.

Comparison has been a slow killer these past couple of weeks. Friends doing new things, working, not working, teaching their kids, organizing their homes, and I’m here killing it. Or so I thought.

Life looks different for all of us. One area we may be flourishing, and another not so much. We all have those glamorous sides where we are rocking it, and those areas we sweep under the rug or push in the closet for one more day, laundry anyone?

With this heart of comparison, I had to take a step back. What was going on? Comparison was killing my joy and making me exhausted. Because I cannot be the best at everything, in every area. It’s not possible.

I’m realizing it was comparison as I write this. Sometimes getting it out, brings new light.

So our goal for the summer, I made this up last night, is to play, rest, and relax together. Because we love being together.

I’m okay that I compared my motherhood to someone else’s motherhood, because this is where I get to write from. A place of truth, authenticity. In that I want to remind myself and maybe you, we don’t have to be anyone else, our people in this case my kids don’t want anyone else, they want us. All of us. Present. Whole. Completely imperfect.

Lord help us embrace ourselves.

Tag: embrace

Embrace it all

Embracing it all