DEAR DAUGHTERS

Twenty-four hours, three hours of sleep. Now, headed in for another full day of work.

That's a lot for this old woman.

Before I left home, my mother complained, "You do not need to go to work today. You need to stay home." No doubt she was concerned about my safety on the road. No doubt she was also feeling neglected.

"Mom, I'm 60 years old. What are you going to do? Write me a note to give my teacher so I can be excused from school?"

As I drove to the office, I thought about what Mom said. If one of my daughters was driving in to begin a full day's work after a 24-hour shift, I would have felt the same way. "No, dear daughter, do not go to work today. You have done enough. Stay home - you need to rest."

But me - I am supposed to be able to do it all and then some. Work, Mom care, all-the-things like groceries and meals and laundry and doctor appointments and car maintenance and keeping up with housework and the yard. And if it feels like too much? I'm supposed to suck it up, stop feeling sorry for myself, and get back to the task at hand.

So I drove, and I wept, and I stumbled into work.

During morning meeting, I thought about my beautiful daughters. I thought how it would grieve me if they felt like they had to keep on doing more and more and more, way past the point of exhaustion, how it would break my heart if they felt like they could never DO enough to finally BE enough. I thought how angry I would feel if someone demanded of them, "No, but you must do more..."

My dear daughters already are enough, just like they are. 

Then I thought: I am Someone's daughter, Someone's beautiful, precious daughter. And He loves me. And He tells me, "Enough, dear daughter. Rest."

And so, after morning meeting, I drove back home.

Emily, Martha, Helen, Abby and Carly: My dear, dear daughters...you have no idea how greatly each one of you blesses and inspires me every single day. Thank you for being the beautiful women you are. Thank you.