At the beginning of the new school year I had to fill out a lot of forms to
get the kids enrolled in their new schools. We moved
(again) recently and as I
have been trying to get settled
(again) I keep thinking about something I filled
out on all those forms. There is a spot where you are required to fill in your
profession…
As I filled out those forms with the word “homemaker” I was struck with the
meaning of those words and I haven’t been able to get them out of my head in the
months that have followed. I am a home maker. I make this home. Whatever I want
it to be, that is what I make of it.
I thought of the book by Jane Clayson Johnson titled “
I
am a mother.” It is one of my VERY favorite books and I find her so
inspiring
(you should read it and reread it and give it away as gifts!!). One of
the stories she tells is about being at a dinner party shortly after she had
become a mother. Everyone was introducing themselves and time after time as the
women stood up to introduce themselves they made excuses or seemed embarrassed
and said things similar to “I don’t have a real job, I’m just a mother.” Jane
talks about how she was so proud and happy to be a mother that she wanted to
stand up and shout “I AM a mother”. She was previously a co-host on the CBS
Early show
(among many other things) but being a mother is her greatest
accomplishment. It is an incredibly powerful book and her message has really
stuck with me.
I am a mother and I am a homemaker.
As I have been setting up house in this new place I have been thinking about
this responsibility and this “job” of mine. It is such an encompassing
responsibility. It is so much more than just cleaning the house
(though
cleaning the house is a HUGE part of it). The furniture is where I put it
and the pictures on the walls are where I hung them.
My home is literally what I make it.
I am the example that they follow. I am the one they look to when they are
scared and sad. The food I make is the stuff that helps their little bodies to
grow. The songs I sing help them fall asleep at night and the words they hear
echoing through their little ears as they go to school or drift off to sleep are going to be
mine…
No pressure… no big deal…
We have a picture frame I bought before I had kids. I am sure I was thinking
of my own mom when I bought it but now it has a picture of me and Lila in it.
The words say “Our house is warm inside, because you've made it so. Everything says
love to me, no matter where I go.”
I want that warmth in my home. That is the kind of home I want to make.
Zack just came in and said “Mommy, I need you…” There is no sweeter sound to
me, no “job” I’d rather have than this.
Guess I better get back to “work!”
