Thanks Hashem!!

A NEW ARTICLE

THANKS HASHEM

It was as if time had no hands on the clock and the time had stood still. 

I looked through the window and saw the same old street, with the same tree and the same crack in the sidewalk, that stood there what seemed like, forever. 

On the outside, it was all the same, but inside my humble home, time didn't stop there!

Every time I turned around it was someone else's birthday!

Another year has gone by?

How and when did that happen?

I was doing the dishes, listening to my little girl singing her heart out with her loud music, in her room. I suddenly felt panic. Oh! When did I last wash my little girl's hair? 

I ran to the bathroom and opened the door and called out, 'Chayala' do you need any help washing your hair?'

Her response brought tears to my eyes, 'No, Mommy, I’m fine.'

I’ve always tried my best to notice the good things in my life, every day with my 14 children. I’ve lived with that, ever since I had my first child:

I'd say, "remember the joys of yesterday", "Feel todays joy", "Look forward to the joy of tomorrow."

I had no idea tomorrow would come that quick!

Daily, they were out in the Aussie sunshine–climbing, digging, getting dirty as kids get to be. Children have to get dirty. Thats children!

And with dirt, of course comes baths. I remember when my two oldest daughters, Chayala and Shterny, would take baths together. I would wash their hair, they would play in the bathtub for quite a while. Well, that was our routine. Guess what?, they got older. Baths then turned into showers, I was still there to come in and be able to help them wash their hair. Then, believe it or not, the hair washing turned into just helping them rinse. Then the rinsing turned into the occasional, “Come, let’s go back in the shower I’ll help you rinse this one spot right there, on the top of your head.”

Then came, “No, Mommy, I’m really fine.”

This is the deal with motherhood: It is our job, Mommies, to raise independent kids; but no one tells us how to handle it when this actually happens.

And then, alas! that night, it happened.

I thought hey–When was that absolute very 'last time?'

When was that 'last moment' I rinsed the shampoo out of my precious little girls' hair?  Why didn’t I know then, that, 'it' was going to be the last time? And If I would have known, perhaps I would have done it better?, or made it last much longer, or kissed her on her head, or something like that. 

I would have definitely done something!

I couldn’t see the dishes anymore because the tears totally blurred my vision. But I kept washing. Washing and praying. Hashem!, help me remember how quickly this is going by. Help me appreciate every single day even the hard ones. Show me the beauty in each and moment even the bad ones.

The cure isn’t at all to slow down. That’s nearly impossible. The cure is a  real true heart of wisdom. The wisdom is to know that the broken dishes, the stained clothes, the lost pieces of puzzles, and the spilled food are never reasons to lose your temper ever!
The wisdom to know that homework can be done absolutely always later, and the mud puddles in the kitchen floor, have all dried up. The toys can wait till tomorrow, they wont run away!

The wisdom to know, that "people are more important then things"

The wisdom to know that every moment is a precious moment, Changing diapers, snuggling  together on the sofa, swinging in the park, eating dinner together, and even washing hair. They’re all precious, if you can just slow down enough to notice it.

There will be the last fort with chairs and baby blankets. There will also be a last story and shma, before bedtime. There will be a last outfit put on a one eyed doll. There will be the last swing at the park around the corner. We absolutely don’t need to know when the last one will be. We just need the heart of wisdom to thus appreciate each one.

It took just a little bit longer brushing her hair tonight. And then I lingered and I put her hair into a pony, down her back. When I kissed her goodnight, it lasted just a couple more seconds than usual. Because after 14 children and years of thinking I had all the time in the world, I realised something. Life will run off with you if you let it do so. As the saying goes, "life is something that happens as we make plans."
Sometimes, you just have to stop, connect, and breathe it in.

Thank you, Hashem, for mud piles on my kitchen floor.
Thank you Hashem for my aching arm after making 16 sandwiches (8x2 per kid) each morning.
Thank you for a messy kitchen, 3 piles of clothes waiting to get washed, and tons of legos on the floor. 

Thank you for loud music that can't compete with my yelling,

Thank you for the mess left after a birthday celebration.

Thank you Hashem for last minute rush before Shabbos and all the yelling orders to get to the candles on time!

Thank you Hashem for the guests that left a huge mess and, all the kids friends that went back home and left the house that looked like a tornado hit it!

Thank you for noisy dinner times and late-night conversations, for forts, baby dolls, lost school shoes, late night kids homework, being late for doctor appointments, finger-paint on the walls, and bedtime stories. Thank you for broken wrists and money to buy shampoo. 

Thank you Hashem for the 15 seater minivan that provided us with memorable vacations, weekly trips to the supermarket, and fun Sunday outings!

Thank you Hashem, for a husband that falls asleep at Sunday picnics, because at least I have a husband!

Thank you Hashem for all the headaches and school pickups when kids are sick, because I thank Hashem I have kids to pick up!

Thank you Hashem for my back hurting from shlepping kids back to their beds each night, because    

It means I was shlepping diamonds on my back!

Thank you for teaching me to number and appreciate my days. And, Hashem, when I forget, please give me a bit of a nudge to remind me what a gift i had at the end of the day!
Thank you Hashem