Ahhhh....

I have been craving some "me" time.
That's not to say that I don't love spending time with my kids.... I really do!
But sometimes I just need a night without kidlets to chit chat.
Well, last night, some friends and I got together AFTER all our kids had gone to bed.
We met around 9 pm and munched on munchies and talked til about 12:30 am.

Let me tell you, it was much needed!
Sometimes I feel like a terrible mother.
And sometimes, I feel like a great mother!
And sometimes I feel like I'm the only one in the world who feels the way I do.

But last night reassured me that I'm not the only who has ups and downs.
I admire all the women, and even those who couldn't make it because they
were dealing with sick kids, who sacrifice so much!

Recently, one of my best friends has gone the rounds with pink eye.
First, 2 of her kids got it.
Then her husband got it.
Then her kid got it again!
Then, she got it.
And it's not like she is dirty and doesn't care about spreading germs.
She is extremely clean and uses Lysol wipes to disinfect everything!
But she had to take care of a whole family and then take care of herself.
She was absolutely exhausted beyond measure, but somehow pulled her
strength together to care for her family.

I admire the strength and compassion that comes from being a mom.
I admire the patience and love that we have for our children.
Because we all know that the love you feel for your child
is completely different than any love that you have ever known.

So, why am I writing about mother's?
Because I ran across a blog post today that really boosted my spirits.

And on that post were a few quotes that I think are worth mentioning.
So, without further ado.... here they are:

"Women rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing them by, because they know they hold tomorrow tightly in their arms.  When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire - or the shaping sounds of lullabies?  Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in Congresses?"  - Neal A. Maxwell

Here's one from Sister Hinckley that I love. I highly recommend you read her book "Glimpses". It is one of the best books I have ever read.

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautiful tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my nails from helping weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheek and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived." -Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Lastly, here's a little quote from Lincoln.  I love it.

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. - Abraham Lincoln