We all know the person who has it all…in their pocketbook. My mama and several of my aunts run a close race to tie as the first person who comes to mind if a need arises. Need a bandaid, lysol, or over the counter medicine? They have you covered. It is almost as if they can detect catastrophe and prepare before actual chaos has ensued. From pharmaceutical products to food forage, everybody needs the person who has it all.
I like being the person who has it all. Honestly to the point it is a burden especially on vacation or leaving for a day trip. Having small children, I try to prepare for the emergency that I hope does not happen. I pack food then extra food while simultaneously gathering kid’s cups while thinking I need to place bottled waters in all of the cupholders of the car. You know, it’s just in case something happens. Just in case we run out of gas, have a flat tire, or have some kind of collision where we are stranded. Surely I’m not the only one who’s mind calculates the differing scenarios that could play out to need the said bottled water or food. Mentally I choose my own “worst case” adventure exactly like the books I read as a kid. Of course I had to read the book several times so I could find out every adventure I could possibly have. In all reality, I have not needed half that I pack for trips. I over pack, over prepare only to say to myself- “If all else fails, there are generally stores at the destination you’re heading.”
You giggle or make comments about the over prepared person until you actually need them. Then you realize how valuable they are. Remember, they are the person who has it all. I wonder sometimes if my children view me this way. Do they look at me as the person who has it all? I would say yes when it comes to their basic human needs. I provide clean clothes, nourishment, shelter, protection, and love. Generally my children call out to me before my husband if they have a request for something. But there is only so much that I have to give. As my children grow and face different stages of life, I know their needs will change. They will begin to fix their own meals without my help at all. Driving will become routine as they head to their jobs one day. I won’t have to schedule their dentist appointments or make sure their clothes fit appropriately for the season. So I may fade into the background as a person who has it all for them. This is natural. It is a good thing. Independence is a parent’s goal so their children can function in the world without them.
What I do know is that with all the celebration of the good things your child will accomplish, there will also be times of sadness too. We don’t really like to dwell on these things because when we’re choosing our own adventure, we generally seek the exciting parts. There will certainly be seasons that we will be less than enthusiastic to experience. Things like broken relationships, sickness, or disappointments in not achieving a certain objective will happen. You know this because you have lived it. We can’t shield our children from these events, but maybe we can become the person who has it once again. The person who has the words from scripture to remind them of God’s promises, the person who has a prayer to pray over their time of difficulty, the person who has a song to encourage. May we as Godly mothers be the person who has it.
I have my own people who had it in certain events of my life. I don’t even think they knew the impact they had on me. I saw them faithfully attending church, worshipping God even in their own desolate place. God helped them. They had it. Because they had it, I was encouraged to continue on in my walk with the Lord.
My prayer is that one day, if my children are ever speaking of my faith in God as I lived my life, I hope they can say that Mama had it.
-Jennie