m is for...

May is the month of mothers. It is one of the months in which we Catholics honor Christ's mother, Mary. We spend a lot of time reflecting on how important her saying "yes" to God's plan was. And we try to incorporate listening to His will in our own lives and be as open as she was.
Today during Mass as my two little ones were ab. so. lute. ly. driving King and I up a wall, I tried to picture (I often do this) Mary here on earth as a mom.

Insert here the truth that you must already know: doing what is right will always be the hardest of two choices.

So, with that thought (and having to again ask #4 to please sit down) I figured maybe she did have a tough time of it. I mean in the day-to-day stuff. When He was a toddler, was it hard for her to keep Him still as she sat and listened to a Rabbi's message? Did she have to dust off his khiton? Was she ever tempted to smack the yarmulke off his precious head? I always tend to think of her as she is depicted in art. Jesus too. I just can't picture the Christ child telling his mom "nooooo!" and running away when she said it was time for bed. I have always imagined him as being an extremely obedient child who never gave her a moment of trouble.

Maybe things were sanguine for the Holy Family. Maybe not. It doesn't matter really. Either way Our Lady had it, my reality is that these kids frustrate the snot out of me sometimes. But I have to never stop giving my 110% to help them become saints. Saying "yes" to God's will is never easy. It would be so much easier to live the life of a sloth and never go to church, never make these kids learn to share or to help others. But I'm betting my last denarius that going with His plan, as hard as it is, is going to be the right thing to do. And I'm very thankful to have someone like Mary to look to as a role model.