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I am in love with my 8 children. I have been with them, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day. FOR YEARS.
I have fed and watered them. I have changed their diapers, I have made them countless meals. I have loved them through all the ups, downs and sideways of life. One of my jobs as their mommy is to keep them safe. I have done that, at least for the most part.
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Okay, Mother Friends, it’s time to Unite.
It’s been a long spring. Our kids have had all sorts of things “taken away” from them, things that they didn’t expect. School (as they knew it) ended abruptly. Our kids were put into a totally new situation: learning from home. I love to watch movies. And to be honest, now that Life is On Hold, it has been easier to spend more time, especially in the evenings, gathered around the Big Screen with my family.
It’s been a fabulous way to relax. One odd decision that my husband and I had to make: what to do with our 11-year old son. He is not “technically” old enough to watch PG-13 movies. Every year, on May 1st, my 17-year old self shows up. She sits me down and starts asking me questions.
“Lori, you know what today is, right?” Of course I do. How could I not remember? It’s the day my best friend, Brenda Jean Florian, died of cancer. We were juniors in high school. “Well, you know what she requested of you, right?” I love the rosary. It’s such a cool way to be present in this life and bring in the life of Jesus. I have been marveling at that, actually. I’m an ordinary housewife in south central Kansas and yet, when I take time in the day, I have the opportunity to ponder really big miracles.
My whole life makes more sense when I keep the rosary as part of my daily. As Lent began this year, I felt a deep desire to give this gift to my kids still living at home. (And we all-of-a-sudden-because-of-this-darn-virus, had the time!) Now, here’s the thing; my bambinos know all about the rosary. They know the mysteries. They could lead the rosary in a church setting. This weekend my girls had Prom. With our family. At home.
Six of my eight children are no longer in their school setting. They are working/learning virtually. They are participating in Zoom meetings. They are on "screens" many hours a day. Everything has changed. Several years ago, in early 2014, I was on the Struggle Bus with some of the personalities in my home.
Yep, I was overwhelmed with my kids. One in particular lied to me constantly, on a daily basis. It was difficult. I didn’t know how to handle the challenges. My “normal” of being Queen Mom didn’t stop the bad behavior. The pain in the home escalated. The lying and behaviors got worse. I became fiercely negative. It.was.not.pretty. It is Monday of Holy Week and I am crying.
Why am I crying? Well, on Friday we will begin saying The Divine Mercy Novena as a family and I was thinking of all of the changes that have happened in our lives through this powerful novena and I just got overwhelmed. Grace does that sometimes. Now, you and I are living in a crazy time in 2020. We are scared. Freaked out. Our lives are in limbo with this Coronavirus. If you are “stuck at home” with “no place to go,” teach your children all those things you always wanted to teach them, but never had the time to do!
Now, some of you mothers had your lists made two weeks ago and you have become a massive Skills Teacher. Congratulations. Seriously. That’s awesome. That has never been me. (By the way, my name is Lori Doerneman. I have been married for 32 years and my husband Russ and I have 8 children. I live and write in a small town near Wichita, Kansas.) My friend inspired me this week.
Her family is thriving right now. It was incredibly good for me to hear her joy and I wanted to share it with you. Now, just so you know the back story, this particular friend is an operating room nurse. Since people aren’t scheduling surgeries right now, she probably won’t be needed at her workplace for a month or so. |
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