Back to school with Mother Teresa

This last stretch of summer has gone much too quickly.

Although my children will be in school soon, I have been feeling called to clean house -- not just to clean, but to dig deep in an attempt to bring some more order and peace to our days.  It has been hard work, but I do think it's already having the hoped-for result.

But wow, has it been a lot of work! And it will require work to stay that way.

It's always such a balancing act, for me at least -- trying to maintain the house both for the peace and order it brings and for the lessons it teaches our children, and trying to spend time with those very children for whom I am working so hard!

Yesterday, as I listened to Catholic radio, someone shared a beautiful message Blessed Mother Teresa expressed before -- that it is not what we do, but who we are that matters to God.  I can just feel tension and anxiety grow within me when I start working so hard, and leaving so little time for anything else, that it begins to feel like I was made to work.

No.  I was made to love and to be loved.  To serve others with my gifts, and yes, that often involves a whole lot of work. But the work is not, at least should not, be my master.  I was not made to serve the work.

And you know what? The work will always be there.  If I don't get to them today, most things will still be there tomorrow.

But these days with my children won't be.  At least, not in this same way.

So, I was glad to check off a couple things on our summer bucket list this week.  Things like teaching this guy to ride a two-wheeler.

Actually, I don't know if we taught him.  We just gave him the time, and suddenly everything clicked.  The next day, the same thing happened for his younger sister.

We made our annual trip to a local ice cream store to celebrate.

We've also been having fun watching Nicholas learn to walk, and to dance!  I wish I knew how to put the video on here to show you!

I can't believe my children head back to school Tuesday.  I am not a mom who looks forward to this!  I usually spend this last week contemplating throwing all our plans out the window and just homeschooling again.  But while we may homeschool again for some child some day, that probably wouldn't be the best way to go about it!  And I do believe this will be a great year for all of them.  I am so excited to see how they will grow!

Part of what I dread about school is that busy-ness I just discussed.  My favorite days this summer are the ones when I have had time before the day began to sit with our Lord.  Sometimes I was able to carry that stillness, and that love, with me through the rest of the day.  I think that helps my children realize they are more important than their work, too.  They are simply loved. Period.

Interestingly enough, that knowledge probably enables us to do our best work.  Or, at least our most important work.

One of my favorite stories is from a book by Mother Teresa.  She tells about a young nun, about to graduate from college, who suddenly got sick and was dying.  The young nun asked her Mother Superior hy God would allow this to happen when she had so much ahead of her, so much to do?

The Mother responded, "God does not want what you can do.  He wants you."

May we all remember that as we head into the busy days ahead.  The Lord hungers for our hearts, not for the things we can check off our to-do list, or the activities to which we shuffle our children.

Those things may be important. But not more important than us.  Not more important than our peace, our joy, our faith, our family relationships. 

My prayer for my family and yours this Fall is that we can walk with God, and that we can find time, not necessarily to do everything, but to do those things that are most important.  And to do them with great love.