Joyful, Joyful

It’s Sunday again; while the weeks go by quickly, this one has been a bit different, reminiscent of decades ago when youngsters ran through the house. The granddaughters have been spending some time with us since their mother with a broken ankle is not able to scurry after them (not that I am either) but it would be a struggle for her to referee on a regular basis.

I look at my two young beauties and shake my head as I realize how short the time was since their mother and aunt wore those sizes of clothes. One evening, two of the grandsons (age 3 and 2 months) visited too, and I really thought about the good old days. That’s what my life was like in the 70’s, 80’s, and part of the 90’s. I did not appreciate those days enough.

Instead, I remember being tired, overwhelmed, and grumpy. For anyone who might be in that position the first time around (or second time for that matter) let me share two things that changed my attitude and my life. They are in no way related nor expected.

First, I took my brood to see a Disney movie. Little did I expect that movie to have a profound effect upon my mothering skills (or lack of). The movie was “The Aristocats” about a French aristocratic feline mother and her three kittens which lived in the mansion of a wealthy retired opera singer. Madame made a will leaving all to her darling cats. Her butler, Edgar, overheard and determined to eliminate them by cat-napping and dumping them far out in the countryside. Of course, many problems and zany characters are involved in the resolution.

What could that have to do with me and mine? Well, Duchess (with the voice of Eva Gabor) spoke so kindly to her little ones even when they behaved badly. It struck me that I never spoke that kindly. I determined to become a more classy mother like Duchess and use kind words. Oh, I was still stern when needed, and certainly did not change overnight; but I did change.

The second life-change came from a snippet of a scripture. A part of Psalm 113:9 jumped right off the page at me, “He maketh… to be a joyful mother of children.” Do you mean “joyful” and “mother” could be used in the same sentence? I was learning about the power of a positive confession at that time and began saying, several times a day, “Thank you, Lord, for making me a joyful mother of children.” I don’t know when it happened—weeks, months, or years. But, it did happen.

However, there is a downside and I shared part of it with my Sunday School class this morning. The problem with being a joyful mother of children is that when it’s time to “let go,” it is so painful. There is, however, an upside—the chance to be the joyful grandmother of grandchildren.

♫ “Ev'ry truly cultured music student knows
You must learn your scales
And your arpeggios…”