a poet's kitchen: Taking Care

I awoke this morning to the blessing of my sweet husband taking all the kids to school and watching over the sick one and the young one while I got some much needed rest. Sometimes rest isn't just sleep. Although the importance of sleep for us mammas is up there!

For me, a relative introvert, rest is alone time. I get energy from a few hours of alone time here and there. And it's been a while since I was last alone.

As I'm sitting and reflecting this morning, I have been thinking about self-care. What exactly does it mean, and why do we do so little of it?

I talk to mothers all the time about taking care of themselves, treating themselves, making sure they are getting rest and community time in so that they can in turn, be better with their children. But I came across an idea recently that struck a cord.

"...taking care of yourself matters, of course. But you shouldn’t take care of yourself just so you can take care of someone else. You shouldn’t fill your cup just so you can pour it out. You should take care of yourself because YOU MATTER. You are worthy of taking care of your body and nourishing your soul, even if not one person depends on you for a blessed thing." [quote from In Others' Words]

So. So. True.

And what is even better is that we have Someone in Jesus who fills us up just because WE MATTER. We aren't just vessels or workers in the kingdom, taking care of little ones, supporting our family, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. We are women who matter just because We Are. He is I Am; therefore, simply We Are. We are worthy and we matter.

Some questions for thought:

Do you feel like you matter because others say you do or don't?
Do you feel like you matter when you accomplish your to-do list, getting all the things done, or getting them done perfectly?
Do you feel like you matter when your kids respond well to your parenting?
Do you feel like you matter when your friends, spouse, or partner treat you with love and respect?

All these above are ways that we cope or how we "make it" sometimes. But these aren't reasons WHY we matter. We matter because We Are [His/chosen/trusted/loved/created.....]!

What if our rest overflowed from our worth, and was not just done to help us survive the days to come?

Here is what I'm doing right now for rest [because I matter]:

Reading good books, like Bruce Perry's and Maia Szalavitz' Born to Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered. Parents of kids from hard places, be sure to check out my resource page for helpful books.
Making sure I get some alone time.
Going through an online study like this one: Watch Trailer HERE
Letting the house go a bit...or a lot ;)