My mother went to be with our Lord and Savior a year ago. We spent a lot of time together traveling to Marquette, MI a few months before her passing. It was such a relaxing time together. We saw where her great grandparents were stationed on Mackinac Island, her grandparent’s and great grandparents’ homes in Marquette, and a monument that her father helped build with the boy scouts. What a treasure that was stored up in my heart.
It was a slow-paced relaxing time and we spent hours reminiscing about the past including my childhood. It is really difficult to pass through the time of losing your mother. She knew me before I was born. How active I was in her womb and I knew her. Her voice and heartbeat were all I knew while God was knitting me together in her womb. Gone are most of the people who would have known me in my childhood. Oh, what I would give to be able to reminisce with them one more time.
One story she told me on many occasions came up again. I was about 2 or 3 so I don’t remember it first hand but my Mother told it to me. I was waiting for my Mother to finish cleaning for the day because a clean house, in those days, was next to Godliness 😉 It really was that important to her and the generations that came before her. I asked my Mom to read me a book and she told me “In a Minute.” Because she needed to finish what she was doing. Later on, I asked my Mom, “Has it been a minute yet??” This is the part where my Mom would tear up and say, “I just felt so bad, you were patiently waiting for my attention and I was too busy to remember that I had told you in a minute. Take the time and spend it with your children, listen to them, and finish your work later.”
So true, so hard to do… Children really don’t have a waiting button. But I have found that if I fill up their tank by getting on the ground, their level, and playing with them that they are ready to play on their own for a while. I’m at the grandma stage where there are new babies and toddlers. Whenever I see “W” I will act like “L”, the baby, is not even in the room. I get on the floor and play dinosaurs with “W” until he is satisfied. On most days he doesn’t even care that I am holding “L” while playing with him and “L” doesn’t care who holds him he just happy to be in the middle of the fun. Make your “in a minute” a true statement. Maybe even set a timer so they know that you mean it!!!!!!!!!
Little Steps 