The Trouble With Cows

I read somewhere that life on a dairy farm can be pretty tough. Every morning, after the rooster's first crow, the farmers would have to get out of bed and milk the cows. And no matter how well they did, they'd have to return at the same time, the very next morning to do the exact same thing. You see, the trouble with cows is that they give milk only as long as you are milking them. If you stop, even for a day or two, their "bag" dries up. Then you have to milk them for 2 or 3 days, getting absolutely NOTHING, to re-stimulate their milk production.

Now as a parent of two wonderful (but very different) girls, I see the value of this lesson. This is especially true during the days when I feel like I've gotten absolutely nothing done and am feeling completely overwhelmed.

Even during those LONG days when the hours meld together into one incomplete blink and all efforts seem to fall by the wayside, I still have to find a way to dig deep to do the exact same thing every single day.

I must invest the time, my tattered sanity and my unwavering love. There must always be time to paint pictures and drink pretend tea. I must continue to lend an empathetic ear, offer open-ended hugs, always try to be present - bec. the true fruits of my labor isn't just in what I am able to "milk" out that day. And though I may not "always" have it together, I will always TRY.

To my girls: Each day I have you in my life is another day that unequivocally proves that there is - indeed- a God. My success in life can only be measured by the happiness that each of you experience in your own lives. I love you... (as my sweet Jailyn would say:) honestly and truly. Forever.