Because God Couldn’t Be Everywhere

October 6, 2015

Written by Marykate O’Malley, mother of three wonderful children, Gladwyne PA

September was the back to school that never happened. Or more like back to school, off from school, back, off, back, off, an afraid of commitment start to the academic year, vacillating between summer and fall. September felt like August, with overtime. October has been a shock to us all.

I read that it now takes over 3 months to form a new habit instead of the old 8 weeks which sheds some light. We are so distracted, so many demands, it simply takes longer which may explain the mental exertion it takes to have every form filled out, and who has picture day, and needs their sneakers for PE, and it is suddenly cold in the mornings which has thrown me into the seasonal changing of the closets tradition. Clothes leave, and come, and are boxed and binned, and shared, and donated. And ordered, always online, at home, click click click and done.

Or maybe it is because my fall is 3 children with 4 instruments, 1 travel sport, 1 team sport, 2 developmental sports, 1 sport clinic. 1 dance class, 1 Brownie, 1 knitting club. And one Mom. Who drops off, then drops off, runs to the store, and picks up, then picks up. And feeds dinner, and packs lunches, and reviews homework, and asks about project timelines. And don’t forget you have violin, or violin, or piano, or ukulele (yes, we take ukulele) tomorrow, and quizzes for tests, and what is the line up, and packs snacks for after school activities, confirms car pools, signs more forms, does laundry, more laundry, preps dinner, and all in a days work.

This is what we do Moms.every.day. Cheers to us! Let’s be honest… We rock! No need to be humble, we are the front line of defense, the ones who every anger and joy and sadness comes to – to be absorbed and processed and worked through with them. The ones they look to when they score a goal, get on the bus, face a disappointment, look for in the crowd at class plays and performances. We are The Moms. We carry all of it. So if you like me are still getting in the grove of a million demands, take a moment to celebrate you, and all you do.

I leave you with one of the greats, one of my favorites, Erma Bombeck.

God couldn’t be everywhere so he created Mothers
When the good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of
“overtime” when the angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on
this one.” And the Lord said, “Have you read the specs on this order?
She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable; Run on black coffee and leftovers;
Have a lap that disappears when she stands up;
A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair; And six pairs of hands.”
The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands…no way.”

“It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” said the Lord.
“It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”
“That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. “One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks,`What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, `I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”

“Lord,” said the angel, touching His sleeve gently, “Come to bed. Tomorrow…” “I can’t,” said the Lord, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed. “But tough!” said the Lord excitedly. “You cannot imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

“Can it think?” “Not only think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You, You were trying to put too much into this model.” “It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”

“What’s it for?” “It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride.”

“You are a genius,” said the angel. The Lord looked somber. “I didn’t put it there.”