Oh how I wish I could wax eloquent like Ann Voskamp! She who writes with prose and poetry as beautifully as Yoyo Ma performs Bach's Prelude to Cello Suite No. 1. Both are a delight to the ears and to the soul. If you haven't already, take a moment to read Ann's honest thoughts on motherhood and let Mr. Ma soothe your soul with his peaceful repertoire.
Before I sat down to blog today I headed over to Ann's site to see what she had to share. And what do you know, she was writing about the very same thing that was on my heart. Well, maybe not exactly the same thing, but if we were painting with broad strokes, we'd call it the same thing....motherhood. I always learn so much from her in the simplicity yet profoundness of her words.
In all honesty, sometimes I actually feel intimidated by her. I feel she sets the bar so high. She's a genuine, authentic person who lives fully, loves deeply and learns from her own mistakes. Have I mentioned that she's an amazing writer? I feel like I'm stumbling all over myself when I write and here she is a homeschooling mom of six, living on a farm, yet still finds time day in and day out to take perfect pictures, blog, write a book and do a sundry other things. If ever someone was to take a snap shot of a 'perfect mom' she seems like she could fit the bill.
Yet in her humility and love for Jesus, she will be the first to admit that (and did in her blog) that ideal is an illusion. She states it perfectly (of course) "what messes our life up most is the expectation of what our life is supposed to look like". How true that is.
I love having the opportunity to share in her joys, carry her burdens in prayer before the Lord, learn from her mistakes and teachings and relate to her challenges as I read her daily journals of mommyhood and life. It is precisely this that I appreciate about her.
She finds the beauty in the ugly, the grace in the struggle and the perfect in the imperfect. She doesn't bemoan, grumble, complain and lament her children or the ton of stuff on her plate. She is gracious and real. She makes mommyhood dignified. Thank you Ann.
