It’s been one of those weeks.

I’ve been overwhelmed, struggling with discouragement and down right exhausted in my mothering, so I revisted a post that I wrote earlier and claiming this truth.

It’s been awhile since I’ve messed up as a mother. Well, wait a minute. I better retract that statement.

I mess up all the time. I mess up every day in fact, but it’s done quite nicely in the privacy of my own home, thank you very much. This week I had a 24 hour period of time where I became quite convinced that I may need to turn in any thought of ever being crowned Mother of the Day, Hour, Minute, or even Millisecond. My Mother of the Day festivities commenced with a christening of my camera lens, or should I say christening of the dropping of my camera lens. (Did you know that when you decide to invest in a nice camera, the lenses are completely different investments? Yes, they are as expensive as the camera, and it’s quite painful to find that out when one drops.) But that’s OK. It’s only money. Money that I scrimped for, saved for, and cut coupons for oh….a year to equal the money to buy that lens, but again, it’s only money. 😉

It just kind of set the tone for the day.

Within an hour of that mishap, I turned on my computer to the realization that my daughter had basketball practice – practice that had been occurring for the past hour at a location thirty minutes away. This wasn’t just any practice. This was their final middle school practice before their run at the Home school state basketball championship, and she was going to miss it. I am not a mother that misses practices. I just don’t. I have juggled multiple activities for years, and have never forgotten once…ever. Well, I guess that’s not a true statement anymore.

Continuing on, I had a zinger that led to one of those Mommy Mess-ups that you feel deeply, publicly, embarrassingly, which could, if not put into proper perspective – lead to a mommy meltdown.

Their semifinal basketball game was to begin at 3:00pm at the old YMCA, so we were incredibly prompt arriving nearly an hour early. Since we were downtown, I decided to take advantage of the extra hour and head to the Junior League Bargain Box, a really nice thrift store. I pulled up to the side door, saw the “Welcome Home School basketball tournament participants,” and told her to head upstairs to her team, that I’d be there in a bit. (We’ve had the tournament at the same location for years, so I wasn’t concerned.)

Enjoying a leisurely hour at the Bargain Box, I was met by an urgent phone call from my mom saying that she just arrived to watch my daughter’s game and it was the boys playing. Her team was not there.

WHAT? I had confidentially left my daughter at the WRONG gym. They had moved the game down a few blocks to the new YMCA, (yes, they had let us know by email,) and my daughter sat there waiting patiently for nearly an hour…missing part of her game – her state tournament game.

MAJOR MOMMY MESS-UP!

I could go on and on about how horrible I felt, give my justified reasons etc, but in the scope of the grander picture, this does not define me. In sharing my messy mothering moment, I want to encourage you, and to remind myself that I have been passionately called to this thing called mothering. If missing her game is the worst thing that ever happens in parenting her, how blessed am I.

Amidst the beauty and bedlam of parenting, the good, bad and ugly, there is no greater privilege than to nurture, encourage, lead and yes, mess up on the journey of mothering our children.

The Lord has called me for an eternal purpose – a purpose that creates a heritage – a generational legacy, and with that, He determined that I am the best mother for my children. No, I am not the best mother.

In fact, it’s been a really trying week on many levels, and I’ve made some mothering mistakes, but yes, I am the best mother for my children.

I am reminding myself of this gift as I reflect on my sweet children, and God’s grace in the journey.

The astounding thing is that He makes no mistakes by placing these blessings in my life, and He isn’t second guessing His decision.

You are the best mother for your children.

It doesn’t mean we don’t struggle. It doesn’t mean we don’t mess up. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have to ask for forgiveness (repeatedly) as we process and learn on this journey, but He has divinely put us at the helm in our Family Manager role, and our inadequacies don’t take Him by surprise.

Now, just because my mess ups don’t take him by surprise, doesn’t mean I don’t have to realign priorities and spend time making some adjustments for this upcoming week.

Our journey of mothering continually asks us to sharpen our game, and that means being proactive in our role. So, I’m off to spend some time balancing my schedule. 😉

Maybe next week will be my mommy marvel moment, and that crown will come floating my way once again.

So, what has your week looked like? Mommy Mess-Up or Mommy Marvel? Would you care to share?