Someday, he will grow up, and I will wish he would want to spend time with me. But by then, he will want to be doing something with Daddy, or hunting or fishing, or hanging out with his friends.
Eternally Rich |
|
I spend more time outdoors these days than I have in years. Recently, I was feeling frustrated by the amount of time I spend sitting around outside with our year-and-a-half-year-old while he picks grass or leaves, or gets all animated when he finds a new stick to play with. I spend hours swinging with him, helping him go down the slide, or just watching so he doesn't hurt himself while playing. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that I had better enjoy it while I can. Someday, he will grow up, and I will wish he would want to spend time with me. But by then, he will want to be doing something with Daddy, or hunting or fishing, or hanging out with his friends. For almost the first year-and-a-half of our son’s life, my “job” was studying Brazilian culture and language (Portuguese). Outside of doing visiting and going to church and social events, I spent a lot of time on my computer, working through grammar lessons, processing language material, planning my sessions for what else I wanted to learn from my language helper, and listening to or watching anything Portuguese (news, etc.). I listened to hours and hours of audio recordings from my language sessions as I cooked, cleaned or hung laundry on the line. I also went to class four days a week, alternating between grammar and language/culture class. Kuddos to my husband, who did a lot of babysitting, and even housecleaning and cooking, since he already knew a lot of Portuguese from growing up here. Needless to say, our little man spent a lot of time with Daddy. It is good, but now it’s my turn. The other day, when my husband got home from the building project he’s helping with, he asked me if I like just being a mommy. I stopped to think and realized, “You know, I do. I do like just being a mommy!” I am thankful for this time in our lives right now, this little reprieve where I’m done with my official study of national language and culture, and I can just be “Mommy.” I don’t officially have to be a student or learner. I still will. Language learning takes the rest of your life. But now I can communicate, and I do not have to spend hours in front of the computer or listening to audios. I can just live life, talking and learning informally. I can focus more on enjoying life with my husband and little boy in the midst of our ministry. It will not always be like this. Soon we will have another language and culture to learn, and I will have to re-figure out how to do language learning, this time with a curious little boy who likes to figure everything out and loves to be outdoors. That will be another adventure. For now, it’s nice just being a mom, and I thank God for it.
2 Comments
|
AuthorWe are normal people who believe that God would have us serve Him in Brazil. We are saddened by the existence of people who do not have access to the gospel due to their location and language. We want to live among such a people group and plant a church among them, shepherding the believers as they grow to maturity. Archives
November 2019
|