Thursday, September 4, 2008

What's behind that smile?

It is true that the ultimate leadership starts when the alarm goes off at 6AM. It goes off then so that she'll have time to read and pray before the little rascals wake and the endless routine starts over. Her head hurts, she was awoken 3 times during the night, and she already knows what the morning will be like. Her 3AM call was a blood curdling scream of dream terror, not as easy as a head of state.

She gets up anyway.

When the first one toddles down she looks like she was waiting up for her. She holds her arms out, and the tired, soft, warm little one moves in slow motion into her arms, resting head on shoulder and comfortable knowing that mommy has her.

Fact is, her head still hurts, the excedrin migraine hasn't kicked in yet and there are more feet pitter pattering. She never got to finish the Bible verse. But, the prayer list has been the same for a long time so she can scan that with the eyes inside her head and the Lord knows - He's been listening for as long as she's had the list.

On it goes through the day. At around 8PM, the last one is tucked away, she can put her feet up and sigh. Waiting for the alarm to go off at 6. She'll get on her own pillow about 11.

A new generation will get launched by that leadership. One little one at a time there will be a generation who learns that there is no red or blue. Instead, the most real thing is the love that starts that first day when the strip says "Yes you are" and the delicate little one first attaches itself inside her That sacrifice is true leadership.

It takes 20-30 years for the excedrin to really kick in.

For the best, it probably never will.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

As always I was I cried a little
but it is true. We all love that women very much what would we do with out her. I love mom and I love you too