Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
  • Contact

Dear Weary Mom …

May 16, 2013 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Even welcomed transitions can be hard. We have one coming here. It’s a small one, but sometimes the small ones are the ones that smack us in the face when we’re least expecting them. School is {almost} out for the summer. Tomorrow is my girl’s last day of kindergarten.

Cate was made for school. She likes hoarding school supplies, but she uses them too. She writes and draws and creates and learns and remembers and documents. She’s a reader and asks millions of questions. She likes making new friends. She generally obeys and follows rules. But even she’s ready for a break.

This school year has been good for our family. Deciding to enroll our daughter in a small, private Christian school was a big decision, especially for me. But I’ve gotten to know God better while I volunteer in those hallways and classrooms. And Cate has gotten to know you better while memorizing scripture, learning to count money and tell time, creating lots of refrigerator art, and writing stories.

But even the best of things can make us weary. Sometimes the journey is exhausting, even when it’s filled with blessings. I’m ready for a break from the alarm clock and the homework and carpool that didn’t work out like I planned.

I’m always surprised to remember Jesus was tired along his journey. He was going from Judea to Galilee through Samaria. “…and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.” {John 4:6} Y’all. It was lunch time. And Jesus was tired. He’d be going from place to place, trying to teach and instruct people along the way. When he was sitting by the well, he asked a Samaritan woman to give him a drink and a ministry opportunity presented itself.

Weary mom, we’ve been there. We’ve been tired before lunch because we go from place to place, trying to care for these people who depend on us. Sit down. Take a drink of water. Jesus tell us to come to him. And remember you are not alone and this season is not forever. This is just one stop on the journey.

Samaria was changed because of that conversation at the well. Samaria knew about living water that always satisfies because Jesus, even when he was weary, spoke truth and made a difference. Really, that’s not all that difference from our lives as moms.

So, yes, I’m ready to sit by the well.

I’m ready for afternoons at the pool.

I’m ready for impromptu lunches with friends at the park.

I’m ready for free time, when the kids have to use their imaginations and I can let some creative juices flow.

I’m ready for less commitments on the calendar.

I’m ready to pick strawberries and then blueberries and maybe even blackberries.

I’m ready for a getaway with my husband.

I’m ready for bedtime to be more flexible.

I’m ready for walks to Dairy Queen and the snow cone shack.

I’m ready for the sunshine that tints my kids’ skin and makes us dirty and sweaty and tired in the best ways.

I’m dreaming of summer, friends. But that doesn’t mean all our summer days are going be perfect. There will be messes and interruptions and plans that fall apart. People will disappoint us and not react like we think they should. Some days rain will keep us inside. Most days will be humid. We will be weary.

But God can be glorified in the imperfections. The truth can be made known in ordinary moments along the journey, even when we want to rest and have someone give us a drink of water.

And I have to remind myself to balance work and play. The writing and lake house managing needs to get done, and it will. But the lengthy to-list will always be around. Yes, I will fulfill my commitments, but it all doesn’t have to get done today. I need to repeat that for myself: Not every last thing has to be done right now. 

Sometimes right now is better spent pushing my boy on the swing, going on family walks, playing Uno, and really hearing that song my girl is making up. Jesus decided to spend a couple days in Samaria because the people asked even though his destination was Galilee. {John 4:40}

These days aren’t going to be perfect, but these are the days we have. I really do want to make the most of them, realizing life is a journey that changes us and the people around us. To get from here to there, we have to be willing to endure the road, go through transitions, sit down awhile, and let others walk with us.

Come along, weary mom. We’re in this together.

________

I’m linking up with Hope For the Weary Mom, Jill Savage’s blog hop about No More Perfect Days, and Chasing Blue Skies, where this week’s Out of the Blue prompt was to share how a passage of scripture surprised us. You’ll find encouragement at all of these pleases. 

If you want even more encouragement, “No More Perfect Moms” by Jill Savage is available at Amazon for $10.29 {paperback} or $7.76 {Kindle} and “Hope For the Weary Mom” by Stacey Thacker and Brooke McGlothin is available at Amazon for $4.99 {paperback and Kindle}.

Want more? Subscribe to get “Insights” in your inbox. Like 152 Insights on Facebook. Or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Affiliate links included.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: faith, life, motherhood

Comments

  1. Adventure Girl says

    May 16, 2013 at 9:35 pm

    I Love the insight about even Jesus being tired at lunch time…that's how I felt today at lunch!:)

    Reply
  2. KristinHillTaylor says

    May 16, 2013 at 9:43 pm

    Oh, I've been there many days myself. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Beth says

    May 17, 2013 at 1:21 am

    So much love and warmth, as always! Love this…"To get from here to there, we have to be willing to endure the road, go through transitions, sit down awhile, and let others walk with us." Wishing you a slow and peace filled summer. (((hugs))) Beth

    Reply
  4. KristinHillTaylor says

    May 17, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    You're so sweet, Beth. The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman was so good for me in a new way.

    Reply
  5. Daisy Fuentes Dronen says

    May 17, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    Beth so great! Than you for sharing your heart! I also love your blog name! It's one of my favorite quotes from you've got mail!

    Reply
  6. KristinHillTaylor says

    May 17, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    Thanks for visiting, Daisy! It's fun when people recognize the quote from You've Got Mail. Not everyone does. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Stacey Thacker says

    May 17, 2013 at 9:57 pm

    " Sit down. Take a drink of water. Jesus tell us to come to him." Oh how I needed this today! Thank you! So glad you linked up!

    Reply
  8. Kristen says

    May 18, 2013 at 4:38 am

    OH girl, I'm right with you. Bring summer and rest. And yep, not every last thing has to be done right now. Amen.

    Thankful for you, Kristin! xo

    Reply
  9. KristinHillTaylor says

    May 19, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    I need it lots of days, Stacey! 🙂 Thanks for visiting over here!

    Reply
  10. KristinHillTaylor says

    May 19, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    Thanks, Kristen! Hope you all had a fun weekend!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • Hope at home with Dolphin Island
  • Hello, March!
  • 3 Ways to Boost Our Kids’ Confidence
  • Songs of Hope
  • Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.

#PorchStories button

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

Ben found an Easter egg that we hid almost a year Ben found an Easter egg that we hid almost a year ago and never found. So much has happened since then, but the plastic egg remained through all the seasons. Something had opened it, eaten the candy, and left the trash. There’s actually one more out there somewhere. #boymom #reallife #countryliving #weekending #easteregg
Shout out to the Calloway County Road Department f Shout out to the Calloway County Road Department for repairing our road in LESS THAN A WEEK! #countryliving
This past year has been full of lots of closures a This past year has been full of lots of closures and road blocks as we’ve all navigated #socialdistancing and the #coronaviruspandemic. But more recently my life has involved more pivoting, regrouping, adjusting, and waiting in daily everyday life.

I’ve waiting for the insurance company to handle the repairs that need to be done so my van trunk can open again after a guy rear-ended me at a stoplight last week. I’ve been making decisions to finish a renovation at our lake house, which also had a flooring issue complicated by recent flooding. I’ve been driving different routes while our road gets fixed. I’ve been parenting kids in different seasons that require different things from me. I’ve been watching friends carry heavy burdens. I’ve been processing what belonging looks like right now. 

The road we expected to take may be closed, but there’s another way. And the unexpected may even be the better way. Grief and hope, frustration and gratefulness, sadness and joy all can come alongside us in the same moment as we navigate our way through.

I’m feeling hopeful today, even though the circumstances haven’t really changed. My trunk still won’t open. There’s still warped and destroyed flooring. A propane gauge is broke and misled me. Friends are still hurting. But we’re still journeying through life and all its surprise curves.

#reallife #PorchStories #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #countryliving #bettertogether
It’s hard to believe it was a year ago this week It’s hard to believe it was a year ago this weekend we were at the #OVCtourney in Evansville with thousands of Racer fans a week before the world shut down. Here we are again, circumstances are incredibly different, but we are still rooting for our #Racers. 💛 #WeAreRacers #RacerNation @ovcsports @racershoops #TeamTaylor #roadtrip #socialdistancing
☑️ Second dose of a covid vaccine. I’m thank ☑️ Second dose of a covid vaccine. I’m thankful for hope of returning to some version of “normal.” #socialdistancing #covid_19 #covidvacccine
After lots of time at home the past month, we wer After lots of time at home the past month,  we were thankful for a family-friendly movie I got to screen from the comfort of our couch. My husband, mother-in-law, and I may have liked it more than the kids, but we also were glad for some clean entertainment to share with the youngsters in the house.

“Dolphin Island” is a heartwarming feature film about 14-year-old Annabel who lives with her fisherman grandfather on an island paradise. They operate a nonprofit marine research and conservation center. She is surrounded by an extended family of loving but quirky neighbors and her best friend, a dolphin named Mitzy. 

Everything changes when her maternal grandparents arrive with a shifty lawyer to bring her back to New York. Annabel and her friends navigate these circumstances to prove that love conquers all.

I've got a review & giveaway #ontheblog. #linkinbio #familymovie #movienight #bloggerlife #DolphinIslandMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork #giveaway #moviereview #TeamTaylor
As February ends and March begins, we are thankful As February ends and March begins, we are thankful for a house on higher ground, where we’ve been sheltered from so much this month. We’re thankful there’s another way out, and the school taxi commute is only about five minutes longer than usual. We’re thankful for health and each other and God’s goodness and provisions even when – perhaps especially when – we have no idea what’s around the next corner.

I'm recapping our crazy February #ontheblog. #linkinbio #bloggerlife #countryliving #socialdistancing #reallife #momlife #choosingJOY #livingfaithfully #PorchStories #documentyourdays #documentlife
This season was interrupted by covid & snowstorms, This season was interrupted by covid & snowstorms, involved  re-scheduling practices & games while sharing the gym with the other teams, and happened when we weren’t sure it would. Through it all, we are so thankful for these girls’ friendships, their coaches, and the hard work everyone gave. 💛 #socialdistancing #momlife #basketballmom #girlmom #covid_19 #wintersport #basketball @ncca.lions
Y’all, this is (was?) our road after yesterday’s insane amount of rain. The almost 4 inches in the morning did this. I’m thankful for house on higher ground and another way out, even if we have to wind around country roads to get where we are going. #countryliving #reallife #kentuckyweather #choosingJOY
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorite Places & Projects

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2021 Kristin Hill Taylor | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.