Prayer for Mommys

It’s Saturday morning and my house is still sleeping. I’m on my second cup o’ tea and it’s rather cool. We slept with the windows open last night and I awoke to cloudy sunshine, the birds singing and the dog whining to go outside at 5:00 am! Doesn’t she understand Saturdays? Doesn’t she know I want to sleep??? OK, I get up, put her out and 4-5 minutes later she’s barking to come back in! “Shhh, Puppy”, I whisper to her through the open window, “You’ll wake up the neighbors!” She wags her tail while I go get my shoes back on to bring her in. OK, back to bed. Now I can sleep… Wa-a-h? Kitty, don’t throw up on the…. rug! Got her to the linoleum… I find the cleaner and the paper towels and clean up the mess… back to bed again (now it’s about 20 before 6:00) and maybe I can sleep for another hour? Surely the kids won’t be up for a while, after all, they’re teenagers and don’t ALL teenagers sleep ‘til noon? Thunk! Slam! The bathroom door closes (loudly). I look at the clock. 6:10 it glows in ugly green. The dog runs up the stairs to see who’ll come out of the bathroom and play with her. Then she runs back down the stairs ahead of my daughter. She’s up early to go to prayer meeting! I guess I’ll just get up and get it over with. I make tea and cuddle with my baby girl (now nearly 18) while she tells me about her night last night and the Christian band she went to see. Now she’s off and I’m here writing while the rest of the house still sleeps.

I read Psalm 121 this morning. It was nice to know that the Mommy that has to get up and tend to the dog and tend to the cat and tend to the kids and (later) the other kids and the hubby, has protection and help and strength from a never-sleeping God. Even though my sleep was disturbed, my life is such a full and blessed one! So many women live lives that have no hubby or kids or even dog or cat to disturb them. So many have their sleep disturbed by pain or sickness or worry. So many millions live in regions of war or violence. So many millions live in the path of flood or earthquake or fire. Father, for all these women, trying to raise families in horrible conditions, I pray for strength and protection and help. Sustain them today, and give them peace where ever they are, Father, whether on the run or in their homes. I pray that just 10 would know the joy of watching the majesty of Your sunrise, feel the warmth as the sun overcomes the clouds, hear the giggle in the birds’ songs and taste the comfort of a cup of tea. Maybe tomorrow, You will bless 100 and maybe the next day, 1,000!!

OK, time to get down to the business of the day… another set of footsteps on the stairs…

Thank You, God…