This post was originally published in August, 2014. Since we have four of our grandchildren here this week, I am posting from the archives. This Whisper is appropriate since there are new little fingers wiggling under the door.

Ask any mother and she will tell you about the preciousness of a few minutes alone.
Alone just to gather your thoughts.
Alone to grab a shower in peace.
Alone to have a cup of tea and read a paragraph in a book uninterrupted.

Alone does not mean instead of being with her children.
Alone does not mean trading in motherhood for her single life again.
Alone does not mean that she loves her family any less.
Alone simply means stillness in the midst of busyness.

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It used to be so easy. Leaving the house was a piece of cake. It was a no brain-er.  It was everyday fare. I simply decided to go to the store or to a restaurant and I went. I got dressed, grabbed my purse and my keys, and headed out the door. I listened to music that brought me back to college days or dates with my husband. I sometimes drove in silence, in the sheer bliss of thinking uninterrupted thoughts. However, in 1984, that all changed. I had a baby, a beautiful baby girl that captured our hearts completely. Motherhood was so wonderful and so new. Being an only child, I had little experience with newborns and had to learn on the job.

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I remember hearing a story once that made me laugh.
A husband came home to find the house in disarray.
Toys were all over the yard and the driveway.
Toys were strewn all over the floor inside the house as well.

His children were still in their pajamas.
Goldfish crackers and Cheerios were sprinkled everywhere the toddler had walked.
Half filled cups of milk and juice were sitting in what looked to be permanent rings on the table.
The kitchen appeared to be a war zone with evidence that the children made their own lunch.

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There is a place, a holy place that we tend to overlook.
Holy places are often quite ordinary.
Holy places are usually found among the common.
Something is holy simply because God sets it apart.

It was during my own prayer time that I thought about this holy place.
It was as I was praying for each of my children that it came to mind.
It was a place where I sat each night.
It was a place I never really considered holy until it was no longer a part of my daily routine.

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I heard them talking.
We were all in the public bathroom at the store with the bulls eye on the front.
I knew that the young mother was hoping to use the large handicap stall, but it was occupied.
Those larger stalls are such a blessing to mothers with small children.

I could hear the mother and her young child talking as I was at the sink.
I climb under there, Mommy!
No, don’t climb under there! The mother said with exasperation.
Why?

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I never thought a couple of words could make me so angry.
I wanted to scream, NO!
The whole thing was absurd, but it was actually said.
It was a peek into the culture war that is being fought, not with weapons but with words.

I am a woman.
I am a wife.
I am a mother.
I am a Grandma.

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This is the season of nests.
Even though the birds think they are hiding them, their nests can still be seen.
The nests are found as the birds fly back and forth.
It is not difficult to follow their path and know what is tucked among the branches.

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There is a place, a holy place that we tend to overlook.
Holy places are often quite ordinary.
Holy places are usually found among the common.
Something is holy simply because God sets it apart.

It was during my own prayer time that I thought about this holy place.
It was as I was praying for each of my children that it came to mind.
It was a place where I sat each night.
It was a place I never really considered holy until it was no longer a part of my daily routine.

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I ran into the ladies room before I continued my shopping.
I had been out for most of the afternoon.
I still had quite a few errands to run before I headed home.
Other women must have had the same idea.

Every stall was occupied except one that was way down at the end.
There is a certain bathroom etiquette.
You may smile at someone as you are both standing at the sink.
You usually do not converse with them.

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I saw the mother and son as I was walking into the store.
He was talking a mile a minute.
He was explaining something about Star Wars to his mother.
She was not saying any words; she just made simple sounds of agreement as he continued.

I had no idea what the little boy was talking about.
I have seen most of the Star Wars movies; however, I am not an aficionado.
I was smiling as I watched them.
I remember conversations like that when my boys were young.

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