According to the Oxford Dictionary, “monumental” is an adjective describing something “great in importance, extent, or size” such as a “monumental effort”. The definition of a monument is “a building, structure, or site that is of historical importance or interest.” When inserting “mom” into this impressive word, it brings so much to mind.  Let me explain a little behind the idea of this blog and welcome you to this community.

I want to encourage mothers everywhere that they are doing something very special with their lives every day. Moms pour their life into their children and family. Whether you are a pregnant first-time mama who is momumentally carrying the precious cargo of a new life, a mother to one child, multiple children, or carrying the dream of adopting, or blessing others as a foster mother, a stay-at-home mom or a mom who works in or out of the home, you are living out the most important mission of life. There is no unimportant or unmonumental day. Everything matters.  Everything is a learning experience, and God’s grace is all around us as we are figuring all of this out!

 

Sometimes we may feel that we are building sandcastles instead of monuments. Every day is filled with the repetitive tasks that sometimes make us feel like we aren’t really moving forward, or like we’re stuck doing the same things over and over. It seems that there are always diapers to change, laundry to wash and fold, meals to prepare, dishes to do, the kitchen cleanup multiple times in a single day, trying to keep the floors reasonably clean, and many times putting our own upkeep last. We wonder what kind of impact we can have on our children when it seems we are always just trying to keep up! And at the end of the day, the tide comes in and erases the sandcastles we have built, and we awake to begin all over again tomorrow.

In the wise words of our congregational leader, the answer is “yes”. We are building both sandcastles and monuments. Everything that we give our energy to is being observed by our children no matter how young or old. They may not realize the effort it takes, but they know that their life depends on your care and love, and they feel the effects of all you do- even when you think no one is noticing. Those “sandcastles” that become undone after being carefully and creatively made, stay in our memory long after they are gone. And the monuments of creating a loving, peaceful and God-filled home are constructed using the simple and basic building blocks of faithfulness in the little things: consistency of purpose, reliability, and striving to do the right thing, even on the hard days.

The other part doing something monumental is that it is almost impossible to do it alone. If you think of any monument, from the Statue of Liberty to the Washington Monument, it took the work and planning of countless individuals to complete them. To devote your life to helping your children grow to their full potential and become kind and loving people, it takes other builders to work along with you. It is so important to reach out to others to help with this amazingly special task. Your husband, mother and father, in-laws, sisters, brothers, church family, friends and extended family, even other moms over the internet can all offer so much support and share new perspectives and ideas that can support and enhance what you are doing so diligently.

I want to continue writing more articles that I hope will be useful or encouraging to others and would love to hear from you too- your thoughts, struggles and even prayer requests are welcome here, you can reach me at amy@momumentalyou.com