We moved into our first house when our third baby was six months old. We’d had three babies in four years, living in small apartments, and with my husband in law school for most of that time. We were so excited to be in our sweet little 1940s house, and stayed up late many nights organizing it, the youngest in a carrier on my husband’s back as we worked.
I loved my yellow kitchen, and since I knew I’d be spending a lot of time there, I followed the example of a dear friend and taped bits of inspiration inside the cabinets: funnies, poems, quotations. While “Do small things with great love” was not one of these, there were a couple that expressed similar sentiments: “Everyone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things” (Frank A. Clark) and “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize that they were the big things” (Robert Brault).
That was 28 years ago, so I have a lot of things to look back on—and two more kids! And although I have not succeeded in living by those quotations every day, they continue to inform my approach to my vocations of wife and mother. For example, I have distilled my parenting philosophy to two pillars: keep your kids alive and make sure they know you love them. My oldest son said that was a low bar when I shared this with him recently but I actually think these things are huge. The first one is not always in our control but the second one is and it is the everyday little things that are the most important in achieving that goal. Right now, with teenaged and adult kids, that usually looks like dropping whatever to feed them and listen to them when they make an appearance, but the most important part is letting them see that I am stopping what I am doing to make time for them.
And it also means praying without ceasing for them. I longed for a time of daily prayer for years but could never find a way to be consistent. But now that my kids are older, I have dedicated time in the morning and evening to pray, and even an extra bedroom that I have fitted up as a prayer room. I also use the Hallow app to pray during my morning walk most days. Having this time to pray enables me to remain peaceful amidst the stress of a noisy six-person household. It centers me so that I have more energy to respond to the needs of my family.
- I am inspired to strive for holiness by a few women I have known personally who radiate peace, joy, and the love of God. That’s where I hope to be one day, but I am not there yet!
- My favorite Saint is Peter, who made SO many mistakes, but who Jesus chose to do great things because of his strong faith.
- I say several prayers every morning and it is hard to pick a favorite. Perhaps the Suscipe of Saint Ignatius. I also say the Prayer to Saint Jude regularly, and a great short prayer is Mother Teresa’s favorite: “Mary, Mother of God, be a Mother to me now.”
- I have been blogging for 11 years at lifeineverylimb.com. You can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/lifeineverylimb, on Instagram at Instagram.com/lesliesholly, and on Twitter at twitter.com/lesliesholly.
