Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A Mother's Brave Acts



This week the coin landed on "Tails" and the topic is brave. The assignment tell about a time when you felt brave or showed bravery. (This is TAILS so it needs to be a true/real post from your own life.)


Bravery is being able to stay calm in the face of adversity. To make rational decisions when those around you are falling apart. Bravery is what firemen exemplify and what soldiers are. I am neither a fireman nor a soldier but I am a mother and I have had to be brave on numerous occasions.


The day I heard my daughter's blood chilling scream as the door slammed on her finger. When I saw the arch of blood arch across the ceiling where she had yanked it out of the door slicing the tip of her right index finger off on the metal weather strip. Calm kicked in. I grabbed her, insisted she stop screaming, then wrapped her finger in a clean wash cloth and ushered her out to the car while giving directions to her two younger siblings to go stay with the neighbor until I got back, and to tell Debbie to call Robert.


Those evening when lighting would flash and thunder sounds right on top of it and you can feel the electricity in the air. When I want to scream and cry because I hate thunderstorms like that, but instead I gather three little girls up and hold them then laugh when they start to cry and sing silly songs and talk about how pretty the candle light is. And secretly cringe with each rumble and crash.


When a big icky spider crawls across the ceiling or down the wall and stops to survey the room and one person in a room of 20 spots it and begins to point and then the room burst into squeals of fright or laughter, but chaos has gained reign. Even though it is a small, but really ugly spider I face it down. I take a shoe and smash it when I would have rather it just crawled away.


When everyone in the house is sick. Every trash can has been a receptacle for vomit. When every toilet is splattered with diarrhea and the only one to do any cleaning is Mom. Mom is calm. Trash cans are cleaned, toilets are cleaned, beds changed. Brows are smoothed, medicine is dispensed. Quiet is restored, health is regained.


I'm not a fireman nor a soldier. I'm just a mom, but I can be brave when facing the challenges of all those little things in my role as such.



11 comments:

Inspiration Alley said...

Bravery comes in many forms. Your post definitely made me think about occaions when I'd never considered myself brave, but probably was.

Hootin Anni said...

Oh my gosh....tho the whole 'bravery' issue here within all the emotional uproar of losing part of a finger and your fireman, soldier, mothers...bravery, I think the one I relate to more is the thunder!!! I feel your emotions and your calming the kids. Motherhood, IS bravery.

Unknown said...

Nothing or no one braver than a Mom - a REAL Mom - not one of those "Oh, look at me I just had a baby and I am SO perfect" Moms, but one of the "That is MY child and if you even LOOK threatening, I'll rip off your lips" Moms. Love Moms. I have one. And I'm married to one. Just like you.

Unknown said...

In answer to the question you left on my site - the two on the right are photos I've taken. the one obscured by her head is my first (and very amateurish) painting. It may be ugly - but it's mine.

Karen said...

Yes, to be a mom takes bravery!

Robyn Jones said...

Being a mom is one of the bravest things you can do....Yup!

(and sometimes the garbage can isn't the receptacle for vomit...mom is...LOL!)

Barb said...

You are a soldier in your own right like most moms all over the world. I think I have been through most of what you said here.

My son didn't cut his finger, but he did skin his face so bad from a bike accident he was almost unrecognizable. I too was calm.. until it was over.

My kids were scared of storms. I was too but you can't show that. I started making popcorn and the kids would come out on the porch with me to watch the "show" and count between the lightening and thunder. Only it wasn't TOO bad of course.

I think this was a wonderful post!

CJ said...

Mothers are a different kind of soldier and they fight the good fight just the same.

cjh

Momisodes said...

Well said. Mothers are indeed everyday heroes. Especially in the eyes of our little ones. You were incredible brave in all of these scenarios. Just reading about some of them gave me chills!

Grace said...

Just thinking of that finger injury has me shaking... oh my...
BTW... read about DH's losing his job. I lost mine right before Christmas... so I can emphathize. So sorry... but it sounds like you all are strong enough to weather this storm.

Hootin Anni said...

I'm back...
Just wanted you to know that

I TAGGED YOU TODAY. [the 23rd]