One of the most helpful mothering tools I have is to remember this fact: life is so brief. The time we have with our children is very short. Do I want to waste that time being snippy or wishing I could “just get a break”? No. I dread wasting it. What I pour into my children will affect not only them. It will affect generations to come. This is a sobering thought. I need much mercy from God for this task.
And, I do need short breaks occasionally to help me regroup to be purposeful with my life. Thanks to Andrew and to my mentor, Mary, I had a night away this last weekend at Mary’s house. I prayed about my priorities and planned a better schedule for engaging my children and husband. It is easy to slide into a “get through the day” mentality without having vision about what I’m doing. Retreats like this weekend are great to regain vision for my calling as a wham. Even if you do not have a husband or children, a planning retreat can be a helpful way to regain perspective about your priorities.
I got the idea for the planning retreat from the GirlTalk blog.