Moms Like Us: Molly

I have been getting some great feedback about this weekly feature! I think you all are right with me when it comes to loving being able to see how we are not alone, or our struggles unique in this crazy job of wife/mom/daughter of God :)

This week ..

{Meet Molly}

A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BROOD
I’ve been married to my best friend Kevin for 5 years and am mom to two sweet, spunky, and hysterically funny girls, Charlotte (3) and Katie (almost 1). Kevin is in the Army and has spent half of our marriage (including most of Charlotte’s first 17 months) in Iraq. We moved last year to find a job that would keep him a little closer to home for a while. While he works, I stay home with my girls and our two cats, volunteer with the National Guard’s family programs, and ponder learning the craft of woodworking. 

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRUGGLE AS A MOM/WIFE?
To balance all of the roles I play. I was Molly long before I was a wife and mom, and I struggle to maintain the delicate balance of dying to myself while still holding on to my identity outside of those roles.  I think it’s easy to swing too far in each direction – to demand that I be put first to the detriment of my family or to always put myself last, also to the detriment of my family. I’m learning that it’s in embracing who God made me to be that I can best fulfill the roles He has blessed me with.
 
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE YOU FEEL GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO?
Blessed Theresa of Calcutta once said “What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me can ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” I believe that God has called me to live my very simple life with great love and in doing so to show the world His heart.

WHAT RESOURCES DO YOU FEEL GOD HAS GIVEN YOU ON A DAILY BASIS, THAT ARE UNIQUE TO YOU?  
There are so many resources God has blessed me with, but so few are unique to me. It’s really the combination of all of them that make my life what it is. But for the sake of the question, one aspect of my life that I am blessed with is having an open mind, with the desire to continually learn more and to challenge myself. I am unafraid to question my deeply held beliefs and to change my understanding of things as I learn new things. I know that if I am truly seeking God, He won’t ever lead me astray. Another resource that I consider invaluable is my education - I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, focusing on interpersonal relationships, and a Masters in child development, focusing on applying current research to inform your work with children and families. For me, that means continually educating myself on what we know about how kids develop – right now I am reading Girls Will Be Girls (JoAnn Deak) and The Philosophical Baby (Alison Gopnik).

A YAY ME! FROM THIS WEEK
I have almost lost all of my weight from the second baby. As of this morning, I only have 5 more pounds to lose!

DO YOU MAKE YOUR BED EVERYDAY?
No. About 1 o’clock in the afternoon, an overwhelming urge to sleep combined with a nicely made bed makes me crazy. It’s just easier to never make it and then curl up in it guilt free while the kids sleep.

ARE ALL YOUR DISHES DONE RIGHT NOW?
ha. are yours?{ha. NO.}

 IS YOUR LAUNDRY CAUGHT UP RIGHT NOW?
I wish. Laundry is the bane of my existence. I inevitably miss stains that then set in, and I always sneeze uncontrollably whenever I fold it. And as soon as I breathe a sigh of relief, my family brings me the 17 outfits the 3 of them decided to wear that day and I’m starting all over. I’m making steps to get it under control, but I'm finding it really comes down to willpower, which I strangely seem lack when I need it most.

WHAT IS THE VERSE THAT BRINGS YOU BACK TO THE GROUND WHEN YOU FEEL OUT OF CONTROL?
Honestly, it depends on the moment. My needs are constantly changing, and God speaks to me through different verses at different times in my life. Right now, God has been speaking to me most clearly through great Christian thinkers; the following prayer is by Thomas Merton and no matter where I am in life, I always return to it in times of distress:

MY LORD GOD: I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that my desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. 

{Thanks so much, Molly!}