Blessed Women

We women get used to doing things with one arm and our brain divided in pieces. It's just the way things are. I have yet to see a man conduct a meeting with a baby on his hip or teach a lesson while bouncing a squalling newborn or feed a baby while trying to give important feedback, but every mom knows how many of our important jobs are done this way: noise in one ear, peanut butter smeared somewhere on our clothes, monitoring homework while finalizing preparations for a presentation. This is not a complaint. It is simply a statement of fact: One armed and a divided brain. That's our reality more often than not.

I have an amazingly supportive husband, but I think the other men might look at him sideways if he brought the little ones to a meeting. However, in my service as a leader in our church's women's group, our meetings are always punctuated with crying babies, toddler messes, and various interruptions; to tell the truth, I am amazed at how much we women can accomplish amidst these circumstances. Gratefully, God gave us the blessed ability to multi-task. He knew we'd need it.

He also knew we would need each other. These blessed, good women who offer without hesitation to watch my baby when I need to visit someone in the hospital. Who quietly pick up my fussy child to soothe him when I am teaching. Who notice I haven't yet eaten and say, "I'm already done. Let me take him for you." Oh, how I need these blessed, good women who link arms with mine, and in our turn sometimes pull, and sometimes are pulled, who sometimes push and sometimes are pushed. Arm and arm, hand over hand, together, we will make it up this hill.

Oh, blessed women. My friends. The village that will help me raise these children. My brain may divided, but it is you who put my soul back together when it is in pieces. How I need you.