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Middle of the Night Ramblings

Being a single parent is not easy.  There is a reason God designed families to have 2 parents.  It is 24/7/365. You are always a parent.  1:30 am coughing fit and you are up taking care of it. You are still up at 2:37 am trying to coax the child back to sleep knowing that at 6:45 am the alarm clock will obnoxiously signal time for the new day to begin.

Not to mention single parents carry the whole weight. Single parents can not "tag" out and let the other one handle it for a wee bit.  As a single parent with no child support that also means I am her only source of income.  Everything rests on my shoulders.

I want to raise a child who grows into a woman of Biblical character.  While I am her sole parent I am not doing this alone.  The secret for single parents is to remember truth at 2:47 am.  Remember the tribe you have around you.  You have friends willing to help, and if you are so blessed you have family too. They may not be there in the middle of the night but they are a phone call away.

There is much depravity in our world today but there is also so much good. I choose to intentionally focus on the good. I am aware of all the junk but I focus on other things. I focus om my faith, friends and family. I focus on what I can change and help.

I think a lot of this can ring true for non single parents as well.  Parenting can leave us all feeling isolated.  It is important to cultivate a tribe that alleviates that feeling, a tribe that is merely a text away.  Then we have to allow them to help.  Allow them to love on us. Allow them to show us the good in this world.

Someday our lives will end and it won't matter how big our house, lawn, bank account is. It won't matter the make of our car or how well made our clothes.  What will matter is how we treated others. What will matter is our relationship with Christ and if we let that cause us to love others with His love.

Right now I am an exhausted single mom who just wants her Snowflake to GO TO SLEEP ALREADY! These nights are numbered and won't last forever.  Soon I will face different challenges.  The difficulties and joys will change.  What won't change is God's love for me, my reliance upon Him and my thankfulness that while I am a single mom I am not alone.



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