One of My Favorite Quotes

I love quotes. I love those that inspire, and those that make you laugh, and those that remind you that you’re not the only nut in the world.

One of my favorite quotes about motherhood is from Desmond Tutu:

“You don’t choose your children. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”

I think about it from time to time, and I draw a couple of really big pieces of inspiration from it.

I did not choose…nor could I have chosen…my children. God chooses them, specifically for us. I think most of us think of our children as gifts, but this further reminds me that my children are their own people. They are not “the twins”, and they are not miniature versions of me who will surely want the exact same things that I want.

My girls may not be 5’2” with eyes of blue. They may not like to bake. They may not want to attend The University of Alabama. They may not enjoy coffee, or manicures, or find joy in the perfect assortment of office supplies.

And that will be OK.

They will be their own beautiful people, and it’s my job to support them, to offer them the resources to figure it all out.

Mothers are a gift to their children. And one of the best gifts I can give to my children is myself…to give to them wholly, my heart and my soul, and my time and my resources.

I think it’s tempting sometimes to think, if I could only buy my kiddos this toy…or if I could only do this scrapbook layout…or if I could only take them to Disney World…but those things aren’t really important.

The most important thing is for our children to feel safe and secure and loved and supported…for them to have infinite hugs and kisses and a warm lap to snuggle in…for them to have a hand to hold, a cheerleader, and a trusted guide.

And I’m pretty sure I can do that.

Thanks to Multiples and More for the inspiration to write this post!