"Don't Shout, Mummy"

"8.42.  How'd it get to be so late?  Come, on, kids, we need to go right now!  No, Kieran, get in on this side instead of climbing over!"

"Don't shout, Mummy."

How humbling when my four-year-old is reminding me not to shout.  How much does that make me stop in my tracks and reevaluate what I'm doing?  The above scenario happens all too often, and what's worse is that it's usually when we're on our way to Mass.

It's my own fault for not getting out of the house earlier (most of the time), and in my frustration at this fact, I lash out by shouting at my children to hurry up.  This lands my in Confession more times than I care to admit.  As humiliating as it can be for my own child to say "don't shout, Mummy", it is a great grace that God has given, to give me this reminder in the voice of a child.  Yes, it's important to be on time to Mass, but I can't blame the children for my inability to get out of the house with time to spare.  I pray that God continues to give me the grace I need, and that I will be open to receiving that grace.

Great Motherhood Quote

I saw this quote from Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty on a friend's blog:

"The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral--a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation…What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"

Beautiful

You Know You're a Mother When. . .

-you find yourself saying things like "we don't climb in the washing machine!"
-you have dreams about awesome deals for Fuzzibunz
-you can do almost anything one-handed
-you can cook/clean/chase a toddler whilst wearing and/or nursing a baby
-privacy is a luxury

Domestic Monastery

Shortly after I'd had K, I came across this article on the domestic monastery, and how motherhood can be compared to the monastic life, but that the "bells" calling to us are not the bells of prayer, but the cries of our children.  This fits in well with the Benedictine motto of "ora et labora" (prayer and work), in my opinion.  I keep coming back to the idea of the domestic monastery, though.  It always seems to be in the back of my mind, nudging me to respond quickly to my children, especially when I'm in the middle of something else.  It's a constant struggle to suppress my will, to submit, to serve, but it is worth it when I do it.  I wish I could say that I always serve as if serving Christ, but that is rarely the case.  Instead, I'm all too often harsh in my words and tone.  Maybe I should see if one of the Benedictine monks would be willing to give me spiritual direction, though I don't know how I'd swing that with the kids, or if any of them would have the time at the moment.  In the meantime, I'll continue praying that one day I'll be able to respond quickly and gently every time, by the grace of God.