I am really relieved.
I finished a problematic chapter in the second third of the current
romance novel. I cannot convey to you,
Reader, how this chapter has frustrated me.
What makes it really amazing is that I finished this
chapter – and started the next! – while Scooter was in the living room with me
and while Cyclone was at school!
Yes, Cyclone has started third grade and is gone half
the day now. I am pleased, a little
relieved, but I also miss the guy. He’s
a great kid in and of himself and – of a different import – he is another set
of eyes for me to help with his baby brother!
I had hoped, of course, to be able to get some work
done when Cyclone was back in school. I
think many work-at-home moms feel this way.
One has to readjust priorities when the kids are home!
Scooter is getting more and more independent, which
also brings mixed reactions. Some days,
like today, he is wonderfully independent – playing around me, cruising the
furniture, exploring the toys in his toy basket (thanks, Cordelia!), and
verbalizing in a way to delight my heart.
Other days, his independence leads him to assert his need for Mama!
Mama! Mama!
Is there anyone around anymore that remembers that
commercial? For me, the desired form of
escape is not a bubble bath. Oh no. For me, escape can come either in writing my
own books or reading someone else’s.
There is nothing, in my opinion, that says “relax, relieve, a reprieve
from the workaday world,” like a good work of fiction or an insightful
historical volume.
This is why I felt so much less stressed on the day I
finished that obstreperous chapter! Even though I was still adjusting to the
new school schedule and even though Scooter did not oblige me by sleeping a
great deal, I was able (thank you, Father God!) to work.
Sometimes, what I need is not just to escape. I think I speak for many people when I say
that what brings me most fulfillment is a job well done. Especially if it’s a job we know the Lord has
given us to do. So this minor triumph
I’ve had with Chapter 13 (insert your own brand of ominous music here, if you
like) is only a lesser triumph compared to how I’ll feel when the whole book is
done!
I like to think that in Heaven, God will have work
for us to do. I believe he made us to
enjoy being productive, to enjoy the effort involved, and to find satisfaction
in the process as well as the result of work.
So, at the end of my day today, I hope to remember
the work that the Lord, in his infinite wisdom, has given me to do is a good
and honorable thing. My writing is good
and honorable, yes, but so is my other job. The Big One.
This is my family.
For the stay-at-home-moms (and dads!) out there, we know that this is
our employment. This is where our
efforts are expended, and this is where we are called, many of us.
The challenge for us is that we never get to leave
this job. There are no “weekends off,”
no “holidays,” and few “breaks.” We are
at our job 24/7, surrounded by the results of our work, the fruit of our
labors, day and night. This can be a joy
and a blessing.
But sometimes, all I want to say at the end of a day
is…"Whew! I’m glad that chapter’s
over!”
May you find joy and strength in your work this week!
Copyright 2002 Sandy Layne
Sandy Layne is a writer and the editor of HeartLayne E-books. A wife,
mother and Sunday School teacher, Sandy enjoys the challenges of her life even
if she spends half the time talking to herself. She figures God understands.
Here's another article at WriteToInspire by Sandy
Layne: