One of my favorite memories happened on a day when nothing had seemed to go right. I just couldn't do what I thought I had to do. There weren't enough minutes in the day to be the mom I wanted to be. The house wasn't clean, the dishes were in the sink, the laundry wasn't done and who knows what else.
But I stood there in the middle of this mess of a house and said loudly, as if making an announcement to the world," YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M NOT PERFECT!! I CAN'T BE PERFECT! NO MATTER WHAT I DO, MY HOUSE WILL NEVER BE PERFECT, LIFE WILL NEVER BE PERFECT AND YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S OK!! I DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT." My daughter looked at me and said "Mom, I'm so glad you said that! I'm so glad you said that." We hugged and laughed and understood each other completely at that moment. In some way, I was giving my daughter permission to not have to be perfect, and she had given me the best gift she could ever give.
I remember that day every once in awhile. Probably not often enough. Yesterday while pondering this, I came up with some amusing thoughts that pretty well define the person that I am. I am consistently inconsistent, I am perfectly imperfect, I am a conservative non-conformist, I am a sentimental cynic, I am a quiet extrovert, I am an outgoing introvert, I am neatly messy, I am a lazy hard worker, I am a determined scatterbrain, I am a dichotomy: something with seemingly contradictory qualities. Which would explain my frustration at times, when I'm trying my best to be consistent, perfect, to conform, to be outgoing, to work hard, to be determined in my focus. Whew! Life will never be what we desire. How can it be with what I have to work with!
“If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” C.S. Lewis
I'm not sure how well that quote fits into what I've been writing about, but I really love C.S. Lewis quotes and this one speaks to me about the desire to be more than we can be, and the desire to accomplish something that is always just beyond reach. Maybe someday we'll understand.
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. Now faith, hope, love, abide these three, but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:12-13
The gift my daughter gave to me that day was love. Unconditional love. The greatest gift of all.
Many of us Mums are 'not perfect"
ReplyDeleteBut I say it's the effort not the outcome.
ANd sucha legacy for your kids to know Us Mums are'nt perfect,untouchable or the like.
Oh I loved this my friend. And I can so relate. It's one of those days you don't forget.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you.
Kim
Your honesty and far reaching thoughts, words, are as perfect as possible. Thanks for the reminder; we are all human!
ReplyDeleteI think the quote fits perfectly! We will never see perfection in this life, and we'll never be completely satisfied here... because we were made for more! Thanks for the authenticity in this post. What a gift to give your daughter... to teach her now that she will never be able to completely meet the standards this world will set for her. All she ever has to be or do is what God created for her. That's so freeing! :) God bless you... you're a great mom!
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful post and one that most moms can relate to and I just love being in that intersection where discovery and sharing take place, there's just nothing else like it.
ReplyDelete"SALAMAT"(Thank you),been sick for a while,feel so empty inside and out,reading your post touches me and I had learned a lot,an open reminder of acceptance and thru our imperfection we become closer to the almighty.
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