Yesterday was eye-opening for me as I sat on a patio overlooking the James River while brunching and chatting with my parents and fiance.  It all makes sense now…

When Bean’s Dad and I first realized we were expecting, I was surprised…wait, terrified that we would be responsible for someone’s LIFE.  Yes, it was that dramatic (maybe more).  At that time, I was just starting to feel confident in my own ability to care for myself and balance life (relationship, job, goals).  We were sooooo not expecting life to shift in this way.

To be honest, this was the first time I had felt so unprepared for a chapter in my life.  This wasn’t a tennis tryout…I had lessons and a coach for that.  It wasn’t like college.  I had taken classes, attended orientation, and had an adviser for that.  This wasn’t like my first job…there were training, policies, and a supervisor for that.   Where’s the playbook?  Where’s the guide?  Can I speak to a supervisor please?  I need answers.  Needless to say, I did a lot of researching, but more reflecting.  How did our parents do this…seemingly so effortlessly?

After reflecting on my own childhood and asking Bean’s Dad about his, I realized the answers were within all along.  This whole period of time as I was trying to make sense of this huge task God had set before us.  He had already provided me with the most extensive and thorough training of all.  (Won’t He do it)

My mother has been showing me all along how to do “this” in her love and care for me. Her words and actions have taught me so much about discipline, sacrifice, and being independent.  Seeing her multi-task while being so attentive to us with everything that we needed (and wanted) was the lesson, orientation, training, policies…it was the whole playbook!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms that have been training, advising, and coaching with the faith that their child(ren) finally have those “a-ha” moments.  Thanks for the playbook Mom!  Love you!