vessel of love

As much as I adore these beauties,
being a wife and mother
can be a frustrating and challenging
task at times that sometimes
leaves me feeling haggard and worn out.
I have had my days of exhaustion,
anger, worry, fear and tears.
ANNOYED.  Boy, can I get annoyed
by my children (and occasionally my husband too).
But the gift I have received in knowing
these precious people I call family
outweighs the hard times a hundred times over.

I am realizing that usually the rough days
are that way because I allow the pettiness of
circumstance take center stage.
 I do not want to be a mother, wife or friend whose
days are dictated by circumstances.
I want to set my sights on what is higher
 than life's daily ups and downs because those things will
always be present and many times out of my control.
I have a choice to live in joy or to live in the
fleeting moments of a world that is everchanging.
I can choose to be a vessel of anger or love.
A vessel of bitterness or forgiveness.
A vessel of harshness or gentleness.
I choose the latter. I will fail at times~without a doubt.
And on those days I will ask for forgiveness,
readjust my focus once again,
dust myself off and move forward.

The fact that God has entrusted me with
these lives to love, serve, guide, discipline,
forgive and learn from is an enormous gift.
One that I would never exchange or return,
because they were wonderfully made
that I may enjoy and delight in who
they were created to be.

Hope you are enjoying the people you love today.
Everyday.

"If you have only one smile in you
give it to the people you love."
~Maya Angelou~