Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Oooooh mom and her many whips and quips. Today I find myself using a few of her "mom-isms" which on many occasions provoked a brain-busting eye-roll and an under-the-breath "Really Mom??". But today it's
"Patience, Jenn, patience is a virtue...." and "Always remember, nothing in life is fair, 'cept for the state fair..." that seem to be the all too appropriate one-liners that I've caught myself using more than once.
I never fully appreciated the amount of patience you suddenly inherit when you become a mommy. It's definitely one of those superman skills you all of a sudden realize you have overnight. I discovered this new "super power" when I suddenly had the ability to function coherently on 2 hours of sleep, changing diapers in the dark, feeding a baby and snoozing simultaneously, and then walking/pacing the floors for hours at a time with a screaming, collicky child who NEVER seems to wear out. After all this, mommies everywhere still manage to find every sideways grin and hiccup absolutely amazing, even in the midst of such craziness. The only thing that explains this phenomena is the Lord's incredible gift of unwavering patience he gives to mommas. Now, all that said, with my new gift of patience comes one tiny stipulation.....my patience for OTHERS has apparently disappeared. I have suddenly become that crabby lady at a restaurant who can't seem to understand why the enitire staff doesn't realize I'm clearly on a schedule...can't they see I have a ticking time bomb in a car seat that could explode into a screaming fit at any moment? So I'm gonna need that bowl of soup and side salad to magically appear promptly 3min. after I place my order.
And "road rage" doesn't even describe the lack of patience I have with other drivers. I find myself driving a steady 60MPH on the interstate at all times, and screaming at anyone who goes faster because I feel in some way they could possibly be endangering my innocent child who rides peacefully in my backseat. I feel like everyone on the road should somehow (by some sort of psychic ESP or something) know and acknowledge that I am carrying precious cargo and to keep their distance and speeds at appropriate standards. I've even thought of putting one of those ridiculous signs on my car, "Baby on Board"--stay back 500 feet or I'll punch you. I know violence is not the answer, so I only THINK these things; I never get irrational while driving...just a few choice words for bone-head drivers is all that ever ensues, so no need to alert the authorities. It's funny how things work out, though, God grants me unbelievable amounts of peace, solace, level-headedness, and patience with my child....but my patience for others is tested daily, it seems.
When I was younger, especially during my wretched teen years, my favorite saying definitely had to be "It's NOT Fair!!!", which was all too often immediately followed by my mother's comeback of "Jenn, nothing in life is fair, except for the state fair". As you can imagine, to a 14 year old snot, this only enraged me even more. Never in my life would I imagine myself saying this very statement to myself when presented with unfair situations at work. Everyone has tough situations where they often ask themselves "why?"...as much as I love my job and the people I work with, there are still times when I want to stomp my feet, put my hands on my hips, throw my head back, and shout "it's not FAIR!!!" That's when I found myself saying under my breath today (while counting to 10) "Jenn, nothing in life is fair, 'cept for the state fair". This immediately made me smile and think of my own mother and her hilarious quips that we all have thought at one time 1) how annoying they are, 2) how she needs to write a book citing them all, and 3) how completely appropriate and true to life they really are.
Thanks Mom, for all the one-liner, words of wisdom you've provided so that I may be fully equipped to conquer this crazy world :)
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