The New "Normal"

The new normal is not easy.
The new normal is saying goodbye to a full night's uninterrupted sleep.
The new normal is having to wake up twice a night to pump.
The new normal is that being lazy is no longer an option.
The new normal is having someone who needs you not just to thrive, but to survive solely on your milk.

The new normal is having just enough me time in order to restore the energy to give more.
The new normal is the ability to stop whatever you're doing at any given time to just be in the moment, attend to, and be present for someone else.
The new normal is being fine if nothing goes according to your schedule.
The new normal is about becoming more flexible.
The new normal gets easier quicker than you think.

The new normal is finding ways you never thought you could to calm your own storms in order to soothe someone else.

The new normal is that you're willing to do things you'll never do, go as far as you can go, feel things you've never felt and forget everything else, just so you can the best that you can for someone else.

What's not normal is someone calling you "mama"... something I'm still not used to hearing, something I'll probably never get tired of listening.

Dear C: There is No Relationship Without Trust

My dearest daughter,

Don't ever allow yourself to swallow somebody else's words when they don't even trust that you will understand them in the first place.

This is because no relationship in life can blossom without mutual trust.

So you are not obliged to succumb to their demands and/or desires, their hopes and dreams. It's different from the loving sacrifice of and for loved ones. While love is service, it is not the magnitude of your actions that matter, rather the attitude of your heart in the doing.

Not everyone who says they love you knows love. Though these people keep telling you to trust that they have the best of intentions, that you shouldn't have low opinions about them because of their nagging (which you shouldn't), not all of them have true faith, much less have faith in you. Therefore, it is impossible to fulfill their need to either a) get you under their control, or b) stop themselves from worrying.

The harsh truth is that sometimes, these people include mom and dad. We need Jesus as much as you do.

But know this: Even before you came into this world, we already believe in you. Because of our faith, Jesus has entrusted you with us.

So keep doing what God has called you to do, even if we don't always understand you, because He is the most reliable place to put your confidence in.

{ The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that. Proverbs 29:25 MSG }

{ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3 NKJV }

{ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NKJV }

{ I may speak in different languages of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing if I do not have love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NCV }

{ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV }