Balance

Embarrassingly, I spent too much time dwelling on the notion that all of the truly great female workers of the Cause were either single or did their best work after the children left the house. This is true and yet, not really true. We all have our own individual cup to fill; and everyone works on their own cup within their own individual circumstances.

It is true that the travel teaching/pioneering greats... Martha Root, Agnes Alexander, Marion Jack, etc... were single. At the same time, there were plenty of greats who worked tirelessly while serving as mothers; Corinne True being the best example I can think of right now. Her service, while largely confined to the city of Chicago and her home, was beyond compare. Others raised their kids and then jumped into the field of service with unmatched zeal (such as Dorothy Baker).

What I wrestle with constantly is the balance in my life. It is not that the kids keep me busier than anyone else but it's that I'm always consumed with the little things, mundane and not-so-mundane, that make up a part of raising kids and keeping a house clean. When I add in all the things I am supposed to be doing as Assembly secretary and Cluster Development Facilitator, it is a recipe for failure unless I put it all in the proper perspective.

For me, that perspective is that even though I can't do it all, I can do a lot well. Each day is a new day. Each day is a fresh one in which to forgive myself for the failings of the previous day and try again. Each day is an opportunity to improve a little more, to get one more thing on my list done, and to teach one more person.

It is hard to hold myself up to the standard set by those selfless maidservants of the Faith who came before me and not feel unworthy. That said, as suggested by our Auxiliary Board member, I need to be more patient with myself.