Sandra Joseph is a popular Hearts at Home workshop speaker. Today’s post comes from her heart…
As a Mom you’ve experienced that woman in the grocery store, You know, that one that tells you to treasure every moment of your child’s life because it goes so fast. You smile and nod as you take the candy out of your crying child’s fist and you think that this woman has no idea how crazy your days are. At this point, you have given up on enjoying your child’s moments; you would like just to be able to enjoy a moment to yourself.
Lately, I have become that grocery store woman. As an empty nester now, I push my grocery cart alone and place adult items in it for only my husband and me. I remember when my grocery cart was filled to the brim with school lunch box items and little ones that sat in the cart seat.
My memories of grocery shopping with little children include a broken Mrs. Butterworth bottle (they use to be glass), leaving a cart of groceries to take a child outside who needed to be disciplined and how the impulse items in the checkout line often caused tears. Sometimes they were my tears.
So if I remember how crazy it was to grocery shop with my children, why don’t I give you advice on how to grocery shop with children or better yet suggest a good babysitter? Why do I encourage you to enjoy these days of Mothering when it is obviously difficult? What is it about seeing a Mom with children (no matter what stage or mood they are in) that causes me to sigh and persuade you to treasure these days. It is because I have experienced the releasing stage of being a mom. My child rearing days are gone, my daughters are now on their own, married or in college, and starting their lives in the places God has called them.
It is not that I am unhappy in my life stage at this time, because I am. I enjoy having time for relationships (coffee, anyone?), to study God’s words in quietness and to be with my husband on our own again. But, I miss the sweet tender moments of a home full of growing children who need to have books read to them with bedtime prayers. The mothering years go by so fast, that as I watch you in the grocery store, I marvel that that stage of my life is over. I want you to enjoy what I wish I would go back and experience again.
I am continually amazed at how fast those years of raising children fly by. It seems like I blinked and my babies were getting on the yellow bus and I blinked again and they were graduating from school. I am thankful for the times I took to treasure moments in a variety of ways like photos, journals, blogs and scrapbooks. I have treasured moments to recall and remember – these are a gift from God to a melancholy Mom.
The next time you are in the grocery store and a woman tells you to treasure these days – smile at her and think of me. A middle age woman who still loves her calling as a Mom and occasionally misses her active mothering day. Then remind yourself that someday (sooner than you can imagine) your children will be grown and you will be telling a mom in the grocery store to treasure every moment…
“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
Sandra Joseph is the author of Recognize and Remember blog, a MOPS Mentor, a wife to Bill, & Mother to 3 grown daughters. Currently she is enjoying her new son-in-laws and new grandson. She was a 2009 workshop leader for Hearts at Home and represents DaySpring’s Blessings Unlimited Products.
How are you treasuring the moments of your children’s lives? Are you amazed at how fast our mothering journey goes?
I want to thank you for this post today. I have often heard this…especially from my own mom (whom I have a strained relationship with so I don't like listening, which I am working on this with God). It's nice to hear this from someone else. My oldest goes to preschool this year and I haven't had any sadness about it until last night when we went to her open house. I came home and thought about when we brought her home from the hospital. I was a little sad but I believe that God has blessed me with my wonderful children to love and raise into beautiful adults. I try everyday to relish in their joys and meltdowns 🙂 And after reading this I will take even more time to stop and enjoy and remember these good times and even the awful meltdowns we seem to encounter daily. Again, Thank You!
How wonderful to open my email today, click on my "Jill Savage's latest blog entry" and see a woman that has touched me in so many ways!! Seeing Sandy Joseph on your guest blog made my day!! She always has wonderful things to say and such great wisdom! I am very blessed to have had her in my life even if only for a short time! Miss you Sandy!
Thank you so much for this article. It really helps me put things into perspective. It's important to remember to enjoy the journey and not focus on the temporary annoyances along the way.
Thanks for this post! With my oldest starting 5K this month, I see the time slipping away and thankful for at least one to still push around in the grocery store!! I am also serving as our MOPS coordinator for my area and see you are a MOPS mentor- what a blessing you are to those women with young preschoolers!
I'm so glad Sandy's post touched your heart today. It touched mine, too, and that's why I wanted to share it with you!
We were blessed with a daughter after 10 years of marriage and yearning to be parents. Naturally now, while our daughter is a teenager, our friends' and other relatives' kids are older. Many a times I wished we too should have been parents while we were younger so we could have relaxed a bit now from our responsibilities, but no, no, after reading this post today, first of all I thank the Almighty to have blessed us with a child and kept us healthy to be able to enjoy raising her.
Thanks for this post, I'll remember to savor every moment of these 'MOMents'.
Oh, Jill, this came at just the right time. I just wrote a post the other day on my blog about our recent grocery shopping adventure, in which I wanted to just disappear into the floor. I have commented so many times about women telling me to enjoy this time, and my wondering if she has truly ever experienced the meltdowns my children give me. This reminded me that, yes, she has, and yes, it will all be over sooner than I will realize.
Thank you for this reminder.
I came back and re-read your post today after a trying trip to Walgreens with my two year old this morning. I was like Sunny, I wanted to disappear into the floor! Thanks for reminding us moms with little ones that we're not alone and you veteran moms are there and thinking about us. I cherished my little boys kisses and hugs when we got home from the store!
What a great post! I'm just getting to the end of the grocery store mom phase, my kids have finally learned how to behave at the store. 🙂 But I could not have gotten through the early childhood years without great friends! Coffee! And a snickers bar! Thanks to Jill and Hearts at home for great mommy time out reads and comfort!