This has to be one of the most unbecoming photos of me ever, but it sort of looks defensive, doesn't it?

I told you it was coming!

When we as moms are on the receiving end of the judgement passed by others, we can be quick to cry,

“But you don’t understand!”

never stopping to consider that there may be some constructive in that criticism.

God can and does use others to refine us.  Iron sharpening iron is not always pleasant and we must be willing to hear the words of others despite the sting.

If someone suggests you need to be home more or you might not be managing your finances well or you need to discipline your children more, don’t immediately jump on the defensive – or at least try not to blurt out what you are feeling.  Instead, take a deep breath, a few steps back and consider these things…

1.  Give people the benefit of the doubt.

Don’t assume their motives in saying something that stings is to judge you and hurt you.

I once had an older woman suggest I was either not sleeping or neglecting my family in order to blog.  She had no idea that I only need about 6 hours of sleep a night and that I type 85 words per minute.  Computer-related things have always come easily to me and therefore, I can get a lot done in very little time.  But rather than quickly defending myself, I decided to remain quiet with all my reasons and take some time to assess whether I truly was balancing blog and life in a God-honoring way.

I decided I could find even better ways to manage my time so I wasn’t blogging during hours when I could have been spending time with my husband.  I only worked on blogging when he also had work to do and I made sure to sit beside him as we worked.  I also started scheduling my social media promotions to cut out the 30 minutes in the morning I was on the computer before breakfast.

Her words, though not fully informed, had merit and did afford me the opportunity to do an even better job of managing me.  I also know for a fact, she was speaking out of concern for me and not in hopes of hurting me.

2.  It isn’t always necessary to defend yourself.

When my father was struggling through his last year with Alzheimer’s, I had someone reprimand me for “running up and down the road” from my home to my hometown 3 hours away.  This person had not had a parent die and did not know what it was like to be forgotten.  I had determined, with my husband’s blessing, not to be forgotten by my father for as long as I could manage.  Gas prices and wear and tear on the car do not even compare to the time I spent with my dad.

But there was no need for me to defend myself for making the most of what time I had left with my dad.  If this person had taken a few moments to think through the situation, they would have realized what was more important.  Additionally, I had my husband’s blessing.  There was no need to defend something that would not have changed no matter how much someone tried to convince me otherwise.

3.  Listen and discern. 

When someone says something that cuts us to the quick, it is hard to listen.  Sometimes it is even harder to discern if it is truth or lies.  No one wants to be criticized, but sometimes the very things we need to hear come wrapped in pain.

But, there is a flip side as well.  Sometimes the attacks we feel are just that…attacks.  They break us down and make us question ourselves over and over again.

Both of these require us to get on our knees before God and ask for His guidance.

We need discernment from the Lord to know if what we are hearing needs to be taken to heart or if it needs to be flung far from our hearts.

So, my dear mamas, perhaps you are doing too much.  Perhaps you aren’t practicing self-control.  Or perhaps you are right where God has you and in that you can rest.

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“How in the world does she have time for that?”

Your second thought is,

“She’s probably sacrificing her marriage or her children or her time with God.”

Whoa!  That was a quick leap from time management to outright negligence!

As I was writing my post on me management (and also my post for Homeschool Blogging on Sour Grapes Blogging), I realized that all too often we project our own feelings and weaknesses onto someone else and sometimes we end up acting downright self-righteous.

I’m not going to lie to you.  I’ve done it.  I’ve looked at another mom and said in carefully-hidden jealousy (*cough*),

“How in the world did she find the time to do that?”

Maybe she took a gourmet cooking class or clipped coupons and paid $2 for groceries last month.  Maybe she wrote a book or had a speaking engagement halfway across the country.  Maybe she created a stunning scrapbook or manages to blog at Starbucks every weekend.  Maybe she took a shower without 6 little voices talking to her the entire time.

Whatever it is she did, the moment we pass judgement is the moment we elevate ourselves to a pedestal.  Just because MY time bandits are X, Y, and Z does NOT mean Susie Homemaker down the street is squandering her time if she is doing X, Y, and Z.

We tend to get a little self-righteous when we see someone else doing the very things we can’t seem to do without sacrificing a massive amount of our time.  It feels unfair and in turn, we become unfair in our assessment of the situation.

But, what if

• God has that mama in the place He has her for a reason?
• God has you in the place you are for a reason?
• Her God-given giftings make it easier for her to do the things she does?
• Your God-given giftings feel crazy-difficult to her?

God created us each differently and has us each in different places all for HIS glory.  It’s not my job to decide if you are or are not where He placed you.

Ladies, we don’t know the full story, but God does.  If you absolutely see outright neglect or sin, then by all means address it…in love.  But, the first step toward contentment in your own life is stop comparing yourself to others.

God didn’t make me a couponing queen or a scrapbooking diva.  He put me 30 minutes away from a Starbucks and gave me 7 beautiful children, several of which talk to me during my shower.

I blog.  It’s where He has me…for now.

I want to leave you with a beautiful quote from Jamerrill Stewart of Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling, FreeHomeschoolDeals.com, and the recently announced co-ownership of The Homeschool Village:

{Jesus} answered my heart’s cry with a ministry right from my farm house kitchen. He also has only increased this passion, creative ideas, and opportunity…I feel the Lord’s pleasure when I blog. Despite what some may say about the energy I put into my blogs, I am in God’s will. He confirms it. He multiplies my time. Jesus is mixed up in the middle of this with me.

PS – There is definitely a flip side to this Self-Righteous Mommy Syndrome called the Defensive Doing Too Much Mommy Syndrome.  You’re not off the hook!  Coming soon…

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The very first thing you have to do any time you realize you have done wrong is repent before the Lord.  Humble yourself and say you are sorry.  Then, go to your children and ask their forgiveness as well.  It’s hard and no one likes to do it, but it is oh so necessary.

We have to take responsibility for our actions as mothers.  I’m not allowed to yell at the kids just because I had a bad day.  Yes, it happens, but it’s not excusable…ever.  I’m not perfect, nor do I expect others to be perfect, but when you mess up, you say you’ve messed up.

And no matter if your children are young or old, you start at the same place to repair the damage…Scripture.  What is the root of your troubles with your children?  Is it anger?  Is it inconsistency in your own life?  Perhaps it is bitterness or discontent.  Scripture speaks to it all.

But knowing what the Bible says is not enough.

Years ago, while reading Teri Maxwell’s Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit, I realized that you cannot possibly PRETEND to be a Spirit-filled mother.  You cannot try harder and do better for very long without falling flat on your face…again.

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Matthew 12:34b

You can’t just read all the passages about the particular issue you are dealing with and then put those into practice as if they were a formula to live your life by.  You have to be living and breathing God’s Word…day in and day out.  The abundance of your heart has to change before the overflow will reflect that change.

So, that is my advice to moms who know they have messed up.  Repent, tell your children you are sorry, get into God’s Word and beg Him to fill you up with His goodness and mercy so that you can do nothing but overflow the love of Jesus to your children.

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The only thing we can do is practice ME management.

This hit home for me because here on Raising Arrows I often talk about Time Management.  I have an entire category on Time Management.  And even though, I am a huge advocate of balancing your life and managing your home, I’m know there have been times when I have blamed “not enough time” for my own laziness or lack of balance in my day.

Heidi suggested making note of your “Time Bandits.”  These are the things that if not kept in check will rob you of your time.  These are not things like changing diapers or cooking, but rather the “unnecessary extras” of life.

I want to take this thought a bit further and suggest your worst Time Bandits are those you actually LIKE to do, but that end up stealing time away from you if you don’t approach them caution and balance.

Now, I’m not one to say if it’s a Time Bandit, you have to stop doing that activity, because I believe God gives us talents and leanings and gifts and within those is where we often find our hobbies and pastimes.  So, I do not believe that if you are easily lost in paint and canvas for hours on end that you must never get out your paints in case you end up squandering an entire day.

So, what do you do when you lack ME Management in those areas of your life that tend to take over?

1.  Pray for God’s hand of balance.  I do this with my writing.  I can easily get lost in writing blog post upon blog post.  I have always been like this.  Words on paper (or screen) are beautiful to me and I enjoy the crafting of them.  But, they are also a weakness and the only way I can keep them in check is to ask the Lord to keep me in check.  He is faithful!  He keeps me balanced through my husband, my children, and sometimes even the entire shutting down of my computer!

2.  Have a plan before you ever get started.  Before you ever set foot in the sewing room or pull out the scrapbooking papers, give yourself boundaries.  Set a timer if you need to.  In many ways, it is freeing to know you are going to work this long on something you enjoy and then move on to something else.  Plus, you avoid the guilt of “overdoing” it.

3.  Give God the glory!  I have found that the more worshipful I am in an activity I enjoy, the more likely I am to keep that activity in balance.  If I am writing for Him, then the chance of ME getting mixed up in the deal is rare.  Praise Him for the things you do well, praise Him for the little things you enjoy, praise Him for the time He allows for you to do those things.  Everything you do in your day is worship.  Worshiping the right Person keeps your priorities in the right place.

So, what “unnecessary extras” do you enjoy?  Are you in a season that lends itself to being able to enjoy those things?  Do you see your hobbies as a chance to worship and give glory to God?  How has the Lord kept you in check lately?

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Amy's Great Grandparents

Dear Readers – I asked Anna from Learning Littlebits to guest post after I read a lovely comment she left on my post Caring For Yourself – The Me Time Myth Revisited.  I loved what she had to say and wanted her to share her heart here.  She told me she had intended to write a fun little post about what We Time looks like in her family, but as she prayed over the post, it took a very different turn.  I love it when God works like that and I pray you will be immensely blessed by what Anna has to share.

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The beginning of 2011 brought my family some difficult challenges.  We found ourselves in a place we did not want to be.  This caused me to ask, “how did we end up here?”

God’s word tells me that “I do not have, because I do not ask.” (James 4:2)  So, I asked God to show me why my family was so disconnected, why were we hurting so badly, and why were we falling apart?

God is faithful and He answered, with this:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

•  Was I patient and kind with my husband and my children?
• Was I arrogant and rude?
• Was I irritable and resentful?
• Did I delight in seeing my husband or my children do wrong?
• Was I bearing all things, believing and hoping for the best for my husband and children?
• Was I enduring all things for my family?

God showed me the problem; the problem was me!

I was shocked because I love my family!  I take care of them everyday.  I cook, clean, educate.  I kiss boo-boo’s, change dirty diapers, wipe runny noses. How could I not be loving my family?

As I continually meditated and prayed over 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, it was clear I was not loving my family.  I was going through the motions.  I was taking care of my family out of duty and obligation; not out of love.  I woke up every morning not looking forward to the day ahead.

I was impatient and rude to my husband and children. I was rude if my husband was late home from work. I would snap if I had to keep addressing the same behaviors over and over in my children.

I was irritable and resentful.  I resented the fact that my husband would get to leave everyday and go to work (okay, in my mind it was more like a vacation at the office), while I slaved all day at home.  I basically made my family feel guilty for being alive.

I did delight in seeing my husband and children do wrong, because I could use it as a weapon against them, to make them feel more guilty.

I spent my days trying to find ways to escape and when I didn’t get time to myself I would become bitter.  I felt my husband should do more, my kids should appreciate me more.  I became all about me.  I thought only of myself, not God, not my family, just me.  My focus was not on serving others, but on how others could serve me.

I was not enduring for my family.

ENDURING Lasting; continuing without perishing; bearing; sustaining; supporting with patience, or without opposition or yielding. (Webster 1828 dictionary)

Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. Prov. 14:1

The notes for this verse in my ESV Study Bible state, “Sinful people sometimes become highly irrational and foolishly destroy the fruit of many years of work.”

That was me.  I was the foolish woman tearing down my own house.

I had forgotten to love;  I forgot that I rise each morning to care for my family because of love.  Not because I expect something in return.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:3-5

I must have the same attitude as Christ Jesus…..Jesus died on the cross for my sin because He loved me.  Sacrificial love…keeping no record of wrongs….no resentment…just love.

Amazing!

It’s been a year since God taught me this lesson and our lives are changing for the better.   We are a family being transformed by love.  I rise every morning with the same goal in mind… to love my family well.  To love cooking for them, cleaning up after them and educating them.  To love kissing boo-boo’s, changing diapers, wiping noses.  Just to love, no score keeping, no resentment just smiles and love.  By God’s grace it is getting easier everyday to break the old patterns.

The desire to love led me to “We Time”.  This is time to connect with my husband and children.  A time they have my attention to share what is on their hearts.  It is the desire to spend time with others instead of myself.

So what does “We Time” look like at our house?  It’s very simple really.

Marriage “We Time”

•  Go out for lunch or dinner.
•  Take a walk in the park.
•  Talking over morning coffee before the kids wake up.
•  Pick an interest and enjoy it together like fishing, target shooting, hiking, cooking etc.
•  Crawl in bed early so you have time to snuggle, pray together and dream together.
•  Keep a journal in the nightstand filled with questions to get to know each other better and fill in the answers.
•  Ask your husband how can your pray for him, or what can you do to make his day better?
•  Couch Time, spend 15-30 minutes together on the couch together.  The kids can play quietly, but they are not allowed to interrupt this time between mommy and daddy.
•  Send love notes.  I like to send little emails to my husband throughout the week to let him know how much I appreciate him.

{I would not recommend watching movies or TV often this is to be a time for conversation and bonding.}

“We Time” with Children

• Take a child or two shopping, treat them to lunch or ice cream and talk.
• Take a walk or bike ride as a family or play kickball together this is cheaper than joining the gym *smile*.
• Learn a craft or skill together.
• Have a child help you prepare supper, this is a great time to talk with older kids as sometimes they open up better when busy doing something.
• Keep a journal for you and the kids too.  They can share their favorite bible verses with your and their prayer requests.  You can share special stories with them from your childhood or any special memories you have of them when they were little.
• Look through family scrapbooks together.
• Study the bible together.  Share with the kids what your learning.
• Saturday morning donut breakfast, my kids personal favorite.  We get donuts from a local donut shop and sit around the kitchen table talking.

{This of course is not an exhaustive list.}

“We time” will look different for each family, it’s just about relationships and spending time together.  It’s about creating marital oneness, family bonds and being an example to my children on how to put others first.

Because of we time my family enjoys being together again.  Our house is filled with laughter and my teenagers don’t hide in their rooms anymore, they like to hang out with mom and dad.

Here is the great paradox, when I became purposeful about “we time” I became a better “me” and became less interested in escaping my family.  But, my family now wanted to give me some time for myself.  Now, my husband brings me a cup of coffee and says, “go spend some time setting your goals for the month, I’ve got the kids.”  Or my kids will clean up after supper so I can relax in a bubble bath.  This is the best kind of me time because it is given to me in love as a gift.

Anna is happily married to Brian, her middle school sweetheart and spends her days laughing and learning with their 7 kids.  She loves a good cup of coffee with a piece of french silk pie and is obsessed with cloth diapers, books and office supplies.    She shares her thoughts at Learning Littlebits.

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I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1

Years ago, when I wrote The Me Time Myth, I never expected the backlash I received.  I felt the ones who gave me a good tongue-lashing (even going so far as to suggest my children will hate me one day) truly did not hear my heart in the matter.  I felt terribly misunderstood, but chose to avoid strife and stand quietly by my message.  So, bringing up this topic again is something I do with trepidation and trembling before the Lord.

As I see it, most homeschooling moms of many fall into 3 camps when it comes to the all-encompassing term “Me Time”.  They either live for it, piously deny themselves of it, or feel guilty if they get it.  Very few seem to have a healthy view of this hotly debated issue.

Today, I hope to shed some light on my original intentions with The Me Time Myth as well what I see from Scripture as the way we should approach this topic.

Me Time shouldn’t be the air we breathe.

I once overheard a woman tell her friends she could not live without her daily excursions to the gym where she could be without children and in her own space with her own thoughts.  Suggesting you cannot live without Me Time is absurd and altogether frightening.

As mothers, we are called to love our husband and love our children. (Titus 2:4)  Some suggest you cannot truly love these people if you are not first loving yourself.  They talk of filling yourself first so you can fill others.  But nowhere do I see that precedent in the Bible.  In fact, I see the opposite.  I see Scriptures about giving of yourself and caring for others ahead of your own needs.

Me Time should never be our life line.  It should never be something we live for or try to get more of.  It isn’t commanded by Scripture and should not be taught as such.

Me Time martyrs

However, there are those who staunchly proclaim their superiority because they have NEVER done anything that even remotely resembles Me Time.  They decry anyone who goes to women’s retreats or on vacations sans children.  They rail against everything from bubble baths to curling irons to Starbucks coffee.

It’s not the denying yourself I have a hard time stomaching.  It’s the pride.  (Galatians 6:4)  If you have to tell everyone how noble you are, are you really noble?

The Guilty Moms Club

My heart goes out to these moms. They are trying to do the right thing. They truly love their families, but they are weary and need encouragement and strength to keep going. At the very heart of the matter, they love homeschooling, they love being around their children, but they have off-days, off-weeks, and yes, sometimes even off-years. They long for a better life. They long for a peaceful home surrounded by happy faces and cheerful hearts, but they just cannot seem to make it work.

So, they hide.

They escape into Me Time every chance they get.  But they know it doesn’t satisfy and they feel guilty…oh so guilty.

A healthy view of me

The Christian mother has an opportunity to die to self daily as she learns to love her husband and children.  The Christian homeschooling mother of many often finds this opportunity amplified.  She may even feel as though she is forced to die to self because of all the needs that cry out for her every moment.

The answer to her struggle for more time, more energy, more joy is not to have less children or to stop homeschooling or to immerse herself in Me Time.

The answer is worship.

Romans 12:1 – the verse at the top of this post – sums up why Me Time is a myth.  The sacrifices I make should never be about me.  The time I spend away from my family should never be about me.  The causes I support, the blog posts I write, the friendships I make should never be about me.  They should always be about Him.

I can carve out time away from my children for a coffee with my husband because I am there to rejoice in a marriage that daily shows the goodness of the Lord.  I can spend a weekend at a conference with friends because I’m there to proclaim the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.  I can even take a bubble bath with candles and soft music because I am there to pray.

In the Subscriber Pack is a daily checklist I call Mom’s Sacrifice List.  It is a list of things you can do to take care of yourself so that you are presenting to God a sacrifice that isn’t merely hanging on by a thread, but rather is a LIVING sacrifice.

Moms, I want you to know it is okay to take care of yourself.  It is okay to stay at home and it is okay to go out.  It is okay to exercise and okay to take a break.  The thing you must always keep at the forefront of whatever it is you do is that this is NOT about YOU.

This is worship.

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I’ve asked you before if you like your children.

Today, I want to ask if you like being a mother.

You can love your children and even like your children and yet find no joy in motherhood. 

If you wake up in the morning dreading the day ahead full of children who need you, you might be just surviving.

If you live for the hours when the children aren’t awake, you might be just surviving.

If you dream of days without the responsibilities your children bring, you might be just surviving.

If you cringe when your children call your name, you might be just surviving.

If you cry yourself to sleep at night, you might be just surviving.

Motherhood is hard.  I would be lying to you if I said otherwise.  It doesn’t take much to get lost in dirty faces and dirty diapers, spills and messes and sippy cups.  We go from task to task, just barely getting by.  We drop into bed utterly and completely exhausted, only to find it starting all over again the very next day.

It wouldn’t be difficult to drown in motherhood if we never look past the here and now of a day full of surface issues.  Yes, we most certainly run damage control, but that is not the essence of motherhood, nor is it a way to move beyond simply surviving.

If you really want to stop just surviving motherhood, you have to find meaning in motherhood that transcends the day to day-ness of your life.  Cooking and cleaning have to stop being tiresome chores, naughtiness has to stop being a personal offense, and the needs of your family have to stop being interruptions to your day.

But, you wonder how you can ever get to the place where you aren’t utterly exhausted and stressed.  You wonder if there really is joy to be found in your life.  Maybe you’re just really bad at this motherhood thing.

Or maybe, just maybe, you have lost your focus and your vision.  You don’t see motherhood the way God sees it.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3

These children you are raising are a gift, a reward.  What do you do with rewards and gifts?  You treasure them.  You look forward to a future enjoying these gifts.  And as Christians, you realize these gifts are not yours, but His.

That is humbling.

You have been entrusted with tomorrow’s fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers.  You have been entrusted with the next generation of believers, the future servants of our Lord and Savior, the Light-bearers and Truth-speakers of tomorrow.  They just happen to bundled up in little, foolish, needing-to-be-honed packages you get to unwrap!

Mamas, get yourselves in God’s Word and seek after Him and all He has for you as a mother.  Hold those tiny, sticky hands that reach for you, guide those little hearts and minds, speak His Truth into their lives and tell His story and how they are a part of that story.

Be transformed.  Be renewed.  Move beyond survival and into a life lived with purpose and meaning – the blessed life of motherhood.

Beg the Lord to show you how to see motherhood through His eyes, how to care for your children with His hands, how to love them with His love.  When you do this, you stop surviving and you start living…for Him.

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Join me this week in linking up your posts aimed at making home a welcoming place where Christ shines through in everything you do.

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Moms are always searching.  We are looking for the perfect schedule, the perfect chore list, the perfect curriculum, the perfect gadget.

These things are our horses and chariots.

Woe to us!

Read more about how you can break away from this cycle in my post at The Better Mom today!

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The truth of the matter is, I even fall into this trap from time to time.  You know why?  Because I’m not perfect and it is so easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of “what-if’s”, wondering:

What if I tried this curriculum?
What if I tried this schedule?
What if I did this, that, and another thing?

Would I finally “arrive”?

The answer is NO.

We are blessed with just a foretaste of perfection here on this earth.  We are also blessed {yes, I said blessed} with enough imperfection to know we haven’t arrived.

Every now and then, we have a homeschool day that looks and feels perfect.  I had one on Thursday.  It was lovely.

But those days are like the water Jesus spoke of to the woman at the well…they leave us thirsty again.

I know what it is like to analyze every move you make in your homeschool day (just take a look at the pile of books and papers currently beside my chair as I plan for the upcoming year!).  I know what it is like to want to be certain you have the right curriculum, the right schedule, the right everything.  But, mamas, if you are always right, there is no room for God.

So, what are some realistic expectations for homeschooling moms?

1.  Expect interruptions, frustrations, minor catastrophies and other things that take time away from your actual homeschool day.  You homeschool AT HOME and not in a bubble.  Life happens here.  It’s ok.

2.  Expect to be stretched – it’s how you grow, it’s how your children grow.  There will be things that do not work for your homeschool and things that do and there will be things that need a little bit of tweaking.  As a homeschool mom, you will find your education has just begun and it will last until that last little one has graduated (and beyond!).  Don’t see it as a stressor, but rather a chance to put those brain cells to work!

3.  Don’t let the rough days ruin the good of what you are doing.  Homeschooling is a labor of love.  It is work, but it is good work.  The bumps may slow you down, but they ought never to beat you down.

4.  Put Christ first in everything.  In other words, keep your Focus!  Take a step back {often} and rather than analyzing curriculum and schedules, analyze your walk with Christ, your children’s walk with Christ, and how your homeschool day falls in line with God’s good and perfect Will.

When you start to feel like you are drowning in a sea of what-if’s, step away from whatever it is that is causing you angst and step into your prayer closet (which more often than not in my world is a darkened bedroom).

Seek Him!  What you are looking for is there.

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Do you feel like you have been spending a fair share of your time staring into oncoming traffic?  Do you feel a little blindsided?  A little befuddled?

Do you wish you could get off the road, but you can’t find the exit?

I wish I could tell you the way to get off this road you are on, but sometimes it’s not your turn to exit.  Sometimes you have to stare down the headlights, face the oncoming traffic, and yes, even get run over.

Not because God doesn’t love you, but because often crisis draws you closer to the only One Who can pick you back up, dust you off, and send you on your way.

So, stop looking for exits and start looking up.  Stop focusing on the headlights and start focusing on His light.  You may get run over, but He will not leave you there to suffer endlessly.

Trust.  Believe.  Stand.

Love,
a mom who knows this road

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