Motherhood

Posted by Paulette

My friend and I were hanging out last night watching uplifting videos on Youtube, when I remembered a song that I hadn't heard in a while. I have the CD, so there's no real excuse. It's about motherhood.

I think ideally we all think of motherhood  as something like this.

by Kate Chopin

But in reality, it's more often like this.

When I'm feeling more like the latest picture, the song "She" gets me bawling, and reminds me of how important, the job I do, is to my family.

I can't find a recording online. But here are the lyrics.
   
                           She
She is not the picture on the magazine
She's the woman just behind you in the checkout stand
She may to be common but she mystifies
in all the ways the wisest men and children understand
'Cause she has eyes that sparkle with her love
And she has a smile that's as gentle as a dove
And no woman in a movie or an ad
Could ever hope to be
As beautiful as she

 She is not a highly honored diplomat
Held responsible to lead the world to peace
But what she does is every bit as serious
Amidst the turmoil everywhere that will never cease
'Cause she has hands that wipe the tears away
And she has a voice that makes everything okay
And no woman from the papers or TV
Could ever hope to be
As indispensable as she
    

      And it breaks my heart every time I see her wonder
      If she means anything in this world that pulls her under
      And she doesn't always see the way that heaven smiles
        above her
      That's the reason I try to always tell her that I love her

'Cause she may not be known for giving millions
To the charities and auctions on the news
But I believe she's given more than anyone
On all the times she's ever had to choose
To give up sleep and rock her children every night
And give her heart to always hold their dreams so tight
And the best that you and I could ever hope to be
Is as wonderful as she

 Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough, even though I'm trying to improve constantly. And then I remember the parable of the butterfly.

Parable of the Butterfly A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
I asked for Strength.........And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........And God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........And God gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love.........And God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors.........And God gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted ........And everything I needed!

It doesn't really matter if we aren't good enough. What's important is that we keep trying. And When we realize that we are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us, and sees in us divine potential, we will progress.