In the Meantime

I sometimes wish I could peer in a window to other mothers' homes, just to see if they struggle as much as I do. Lately it seems as though nothing is getting done - I'm just in survival mode from one day to the next - or one minute to the next. My newborn eats every hour and a half and rarely sleeps more than half an hour at a time. While not sleeping or eating, he is usually crying if I'm not holding him. My two-year old is really trying out what it means to be a "terrible two". Today he threw a fit at my friends house as we were getting ready to go, refusing to put on his boots or jacket, and ended up being carried upside-down, boot-less, coat-less and screaming to the car. I can't seem too keep things off the floor, let alone get any cleaning done. And this is a 24 hour job I've signed up for.

I know how important being a mother is. I know that being home with my kids is the best thing I can do for them. I'm so thankful I'm able to be here for them whenever they need me. And as my list of "things I need to do but will never get done" grows infinitely, I try to remember a song a heard a few years back.

In the Meantime
In her heart she holds the dreams
She's carried since the day she turned 13
Of all that she would be when she was grown
Of all that she would do when she was finally on her own
She dreamed she'd fly
She's still waiting for the chance to try

But in the meantime she's a mother and a daughter and a wife
Doing all she can to stay above the daily grind
And she wonders when she'll ever have more meaning in her life
She doesn't know she's being molded and refined
In the meantime.

Someday she'll go back to school
When the carpools and the soccer games are through
'Cause deep inside she's still the girl
Who's always felt the fire to make a difference in the world
She dreams she'll soar
When she finally has the time to do more

But in the meantime she's a sister and a teacher and a friend
Hours turn into days that turn to years that never end
And she wonders when she'll ever really find herself again
She's becoming one on who God can depend
In the meantime

Heaven feels the joy of every victory in her life
And Heaven hears her heart before she cries
And somewhere in the middle of the triumphs and the trials
She's becoming sanctified

But in the meantime she's an answer and and a blessing and a gift
To every empty aching heart that only she can lift
Still she wonders if she'll ever get to see where heaven is
If she could only see her mansion waiting there
If she could only feel how much her Father cares
She would know she's being perfectly prepared
In the meantime.