Recognizing Life’s Biggest Moments

Bubbles are floating around Cinderella’s head as she scrubs the floors on our living room TV. I’m rushing through the dinner-making process, trying not to knock over our eleven-month-old who is using my pant leg for balance.

Before I sprinkle a little cheese on top of yet another Mexican dish this week, I peek into the adjoining room to see my other two kids watching anxiously for Cinderella to get her big moment. I’m amused.

Annie Spratt

It’s coming, they know it is. It always comes, right?

I scoop up the now fussy baby, pop her on my hip, and add the finishing touches to dinner. A sarcastic thought pops into my head and makes me smile, I’d like to see Disney make a motion picture of my life.

It probably wouldn’t be as fun to watch and definitely not as climactic. Changing diapers, kissing owies, making dinner, scrubbing floors, cleaning bathrooms, answering questions, doing dishes…I think I would quickly lose my captive audience because they would be watching the same scene over…and over…and OVER. (Groundhog’s Day, anyone?)

Voices from the living room indicate that the Fairy Godmother is transforming Cinderella’s rags into a glorious gown. I put the dish in the oven and set the timer for thirty minutes.

Perhaps it’s not just fairy tales that aim for magical, life-altering moments.

How many of us moms get preoccupied with the successes and facades of others only to find ourselves thinking there must be more than mopping floors and dirty dish rags?

We see successful entrepreneurs, Youtube moms, and perfect family pictures on Facebook and we question our value and purpose, because our lives look so small in comparison.

Priscilla Du Preez

I give the baby a piece of cheese leftover on the counter and watch as she smacks her lips with delight. Somewhere in the frazzled neurotransmitters of my memory, I remember a little story about Martin Luther.

He was once asked a question by a newly converted shoe-maker who wanted to know what he should do now that he had become a Christian. Much to the cobbler’s surprise, Martin Luther replied, “Make the best shoe you can, and sell it at a fair price.”

Not exactly a magical, life-altering moment where he was given a higher calling. Rather, he was given new motives, goals, and standard of excellence to live by.

Our job as moms may be average in that we share a lot of the same responsibilities that don’t necessarily make us stand out from a crowd or make us ‘movie-material’, but we can find contentment and joy by using our gifts and talents to be the best mom we can be.

A lot of times, life’s biggest moments are inconsequential to the rest of the world: seeing a baby take her first steps, eating dinner around the kitchen table, watching daddy’s with their daughters, being our husband’s best friend, satisfaction of a hard day’s work…forgiveness, relationships, love…

There’s nothing wrong with having a big moment where we are recognized and applauded by people, but maybe…just maybe, our biggest and most beautiful moments are quietly sitting right in front of us…

I squeeze myself and the baby in between the engrossed movie watchers and take a long, conscious whiff of dinner floating into the room. I think Disney should probably stick to what they do best, and I’ll stick to what I do best. I kiss the top of each of their heads, thank God for my big moment, and join the admiring eyes of the fairytale-watchers.  😉

What would Disney title your life movie?

 

This post was shared on…

Similar Posts

15 Comments

  1. Such a lovely post! It’s so easy to get stuck in our mundane lives (repetitive days, right??) and wonder (hope?) if there’s anything big that’ll happen in our life’s “movie.” Usually there’s not….
    I think the title of my movie would very boring, something like, “They Lived, and She Lived.” A snooze to everyone but myself and my family, haha.
    By the way, the girl with the sea green dress has an awesome toe point! I’m so jealous!

  2. Nice post. I found the early years of being a mother made me feel like I would never be an adult again. I am sure all mothers go through times like that when they deal with young children all day. You are a fantastic Mother – I can tell by your blog posts.

    1. Thank you so much for the encouraging words. Sometimes hearing them from other moms who have already walked this road make it so much more meaningful.Glad you were able to comment. Did you have any trouble after you re-followed?

      1. No trouble after I re-followed. Yes, I felt like a child instead of an adult during my first years as a Mother – but do not be discouraged, because the years go by too fast and then you wish you had some of them back. Mom’s are often overwhelmed and you do need a day off now and then.

  3. very encouraging! I am very guilty of thinking, “Oh my is there nothing more than dishes and poopy butts.” It is so very selfish of me! Thanks for sharing

  4. I have to agree with PeggyJoan’s comments from above. My kids are 11 and 8 and mothering is so much easier now than it was when they were babies/toddlers/preschoolers! The level of ‘owie’ is sometimes worse (emotional pain when a friend stops being your friend is so much worse than scraping your knee) and there are new minefields to navigate (stepping on a Lego has nothing on navigating social media) but the constant sameness, the constant demands are so many fewer. I find that all of the things I worried about so much when my kids were small have faded into irrelevance, which makes me hope that the things I worry about so much now will also fade into irrelevance.

    I would like to think the title of my movie would be, “Nevertheless, she persisted.” The last couple of years have thrown me for a loop. There have been moments of self-doubt and despair; but I have persisted. My Prince Charming – my beautiful, lovely husband – has encouraged and comforted me through the despair; and my Heavenly Father – who is better than any Fairy Godmother – has turned my ragged self-doubt into a determined self-confidence. I have persisted – I persist still – and I am learning that the “happily ever after” is found in the journey, as well as the destination.

    1. Very Good! Your movie sounds great! Yeah, someone told me the other day: Bigger kids, Bigger problems. I think there are challenges at every stage, “Nevertheless, we persist!” <3

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *