Loving Your Children - carpe Diem?

A couple of facebook friends posted this and it made me think. You may want to read the whole post (it's beautiful)

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/

Here are my thoughts - when i had my firstborn, i had been married 14 months and we lived in my inlaw's basement. My husband was in university and i had dropped out to help pay his way.

Wyatt was a really hard baby. In sixteen months, he slept four hours in a row only a handful of times. I was exhausted, all the time, and i hadn't learned to nap during the day. At the same time, i was so full of prolactin and oxytocin i felt like i might be leaking love.

My mom told me that "babies are more fun than a circus" and he was. But i was sooooo tired! And him being our first, i thought this was what it was like for everyone. (!)

So, when little old ladies told me to enjoy every minute when i was trying to make it tbrough another shattered day, i took them at their intent. They were obviously wanting to be encouraging, i had no idea how they could say it would go fast - it was never bedtime! But i saw kindness in their eyes and took hope that people have survived childrearing without dying of exhaustion.

Now that i'm older, both pregnant again and mom to a sixteen year old full of existential angst, i see that they were right - the days are long but the years are short! But this work that God has chosen for me is hard because it is important. Eating cotton candy is easy. Petting a cat is easy. But they won't become the overwhelming sense of love and acceptance human beings need to become fully developped. God has a plan to refine me, and a plan to show in practical ways His love and protection to my children. And to work His plan, He's put us together. It's an awesome thought, but also comforting that through the hard times where you're looking up boarding schools and the sweet times when clean little ones cuddle by the fireplace there is a purpose in what you're doing and confidence that God will supply what you lack, to fulfill His purpose...