What Every Mom Needs to Hear...

I will never forget the day I wrote these four little words in a card for my sister. It was just after she'd had her first baby girl. I sat with a blank card in front of me, pen in hand, when a wave of emotions came flooding over me as a million thoughts filled my mind.

What do you say to your little sister who's on the brink of a new journey...she was stepping into one of the most beautiful, rewarding, exhausting, and challenging roles she will ever have the honor of walking in? I could have said a lot of things. But these four words are all I could get out...

"You can do this."

That was it.

Because sometimes all we really need is a big sister to step up and be our cheerleader. There are moments in our lives that we don't really need a list of do's and don'ts. We don't need advice or a three step plan. We just need someone to stand by our side and say, "You can do this."

Mamas, let me be your big sister today. Let me be your cheerleader.

YOU can do this.
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This incredibly hard job of motherhood - You can do this.

When you’re so exhausted you can’t think straight - You can do this. 

When baby spit up is the perfume scent of the day - You can do this. 

When pizza and popcorn are on the menu for the third time this week - You can do this. 

When you leave a buggy full of groceries parked in the middle of the aisle at the store because your kid is having a meltdown - You can do this. 

When you're not sure you can handle hearing "Mom, mom, moooom, mmmmoooommm, for the 27,864th time that day - You can do this.

When the days are long and the nights are even longer - You can do this.

When peace and quiet and "personal space" are a thing of the past - You can do this.

When you're in the passenger seat of the car wondering how the child you buckled in the car seat year after year is now buckled in the seat behind the steering wheel - You can do this.

When it's a late night and you're waiting up for your almost grown child to walk through the door - You can do this.

When your looking at your child thinking, "I don't even know what to do right now..." - You can do this.

When you sneak into your child's room late at night just to watch them sleep - You can do this.

When you feel insecure and insignificant - You can do this.

When you feel like a failure - You can do this.

When you're absolutely certain that you don't have what it takes and you are utterly convinced that you most definitely CANNOT do this - You CAN do this.

Sweet Mamas, you really can do this.

How do I know? Because you are doing it. You wake up and you show up day after day after day. I know every day isn't full of sunshine and rainbows, but even on the stormiest of days, there you are...showing up for your family.

Good job.

Good job, Mom. Good job doing hard things. Good job making tough choices. Good job loving your children. Good job serving and sacrificing. 

You do have a cheerleader. He's cheering you on as He sees you kiss the scraped knees, feed the hungry bellies, and clean up the spilled cereal. He's watching as you read books and do crafts. Yes, He's there in the moment as tension is rising and you lose it, flinging hurtful words at each other. And then He's there watching in the quiet of the night as tears stream down your face and you wish you could have a do-over. He is there with each new sunrise...new mercies in hand, a gift for your day, ready for the taking.

You don't have to do this alone.

It's precisely because you don't have to do this on your own that you can do this.

He's watching you mother the precious gifts He's given you. He's by your side in every joy and through every challenge. He's whispering, "You can do this" in your ear every step of the way.

This Mother's Day listen for that voice. Every time you feel like you can't...hear Him say you can.

So, that's it...that's what a big sister says to her little sister when she's facing one of the greatest, hardest journeys of her life...and I'll say it again and again.
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You. Can. Do. This.