About Interruptions…
Today, I want to introduce you to a mom I really admire.
Megan and I originally “met” through our blogs, and then got to know each other better through Hearts-at-Home (she’s the Director of Publishing there and connected me with the opportunity to be one of their blog contributors).
Megan’s blog, Whadusay, is a beautiful place where she writes about life, making a difference in the world, and her family (she has five kids and recently adopted their youngest daughter from China).
She has a kind and generous heart and every time I read her writings, I’m inspired.
One of Megan’s recent blog posts really resonated with me.
It’s about interruptions…
something that comes with the territory of being a mom.
I loved what she said about appreciating interruptions.
Appreciating them.
And I loved the reminder that, as moms, we are laying down our lives for others. Every day.
As a writer, it’s sometimes challenging to be productive and focus on what I’m writing in the middle of the interruptions in my house.
Many times a day, I put the writing project or revision I’m working on aside to answer homework questions, referee bickering, help with snacks…
be a mom.
It’s a juggling act.
But motherhood is.
Megan’s post really helped me to focus on finding grace in the middle of all the juggling, and I thought it might resonate with you the way it resonated with me. So I asked her if I could share it today.
I also asked her to share a little bit about herself so you could get to know her better…
Here’s a little about Megan:
Megan is a Christ follower, doing her best to navigate her roles of wife and mother. She is mom to five kids who keep her on her toes (and knees). She and her husband consider themselves orphan advocates, and recently experienced the miracle of adoption when they brought their daughter home from China this past summer. In her spare time (ha, ha!) she works with the ministry Hearts at Home as their Director of Publishing and blogs about life and the whisperings she hears along the way.
And here’s her post…
Interruptions
Confession: I cannot multi-task.
Not even a little.
If I’m talking to you on the phone and try to do something else, my uh-huhs to your stories will turn hollow and by the time I’m done doing what I was trying to do I will have to apologetically ask, “What did you just say?”
I’m an embarrassment to the great multi-tasking female race.
On another note, I like to be productive. I like to make it through a day with something accomplished. Preferably several somethings.
It has been said, maybe by Jill Savage, that motherhood is the ministry of interruption, or maybe it is the ministry of availability. Regardless, this does not bode well for a non-multi-tasking-likes-to-be-productive woman (the same could probably be said of a multi-tasking-likes-to-be-productive woman, although she would probably handle the interruption better).
Kids Interrupt. Often. Everyday. Always.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to be available to my kids. I want them to know they are more important than any project I may be working on. But in real life, this does not always show. I get frustrated by the constant interruptions, the refereeing, and the cleaning up of messes that I probably could have prevented if I wasn’t so focused on the task at hand.
And this is why motherhood is good for me in the take-your-medicine-even-though-it-might-not-taste-good kind of way. Because when it comes down to it, motherhood gives me daily opportunities to lay down my life for another. To lay down my to-do list and my agenda and serve someone else.
So I guess this means I need to start giving thanks for the interruptions, the refereeing and the cleaning up of messes. Maybe even look at them as opportunities to serve my Creator instead of my self. All the while reminding myself that my first priority as mom is shaping and molding and not planning and accomplishing.
Or I could keep getting frustrated…
The answer is obvious, if only it was that simple to act on in real life.
Instead I have one more area to confess my weakness, pray for help, seek truth and depend on His grace.
-Megan at Whadusay
What about you? Can you relate? How do you handle interruptions?
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Well said. Megan is a wonderful writer as well. I notice that I get so focused on whatever may be my task at hand (and there always are some!), it is hard to break my concentration and invite my children in. I want my children to know I am always available, not just physically, but emotionally as well. The only times I don't think interruption is appropriate if it is is something about training them.
This is so true! Thank you for the reminder to enjoy my little interruptions. :-)And wow, she has three boys! LOL Plus the others…whew. Busy mom.
Such a great reminder! Twice in the past week my days have been interrupted by tummy aches and, "Mom…I don't feel so good." Everything else gets set aside. My plans for the day suddenly change. Today is one of those days. And it's okay. Moms are needed to make tummies feel better.Peace and blessings to your day.Jeanine
My latest post is about this exact same thing – I am a multi-tasking task oriented person who likes to get things done too and I find it hard, after a life time of operating that way, to slow down to the pace of a child and incorporate the things they want to do and need that constantly interrupt my "great plan." But I am learning that when I do, as when we went for the walk I talk about in my post, life can be so very good.
Man Genny, you made my day today, can I say again what an honor it is to be featured on your space! So glad we "met", maybe someday it can actually be face to face. :)
Great post!! I'm still trying to learn that there will always be interruptions and sometimes the interruptions are more important than what I was trying to do in the first place! I also am NOT a multi-tasker so I know exactly what Megan is saying. I finally had to accept that it's how I'm made and I will just have to do one task at a time and will take a little longer than the next mom. :)
Hi Genny, Thanks for Dropping by my Blog. Great to make new connections.