T-ART

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹, 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿.

𝗘𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲.

Here’s to Mother Eve

Eve had it pretty good, in the beginning. She was in a beautiful garden. She didn’t need to worry about cooking or folding laundry or shopping or making sure her children did their homework on time. She didn’t need to vacuum or clean toilets or break up sibling squabbles or pay the mortgage. She just had her husband and a lovely place to dwell. Paradise, you might say.

So what was the problem? We don’t know how long it took, but at some point Eve looked at the fruit she had been forbidden to eat, and she thought, “What if there is more to life than this?” She somehow came to the conclusion that it would actually be better to know good from evil, to feel sorrow so she could truly know joy. So she transgressed the law, meaning she crossed over the limits God had set. She did it because she knew that happiness was more than endless, frictionless sunny days.

I like frictionless, sunny days. But I like them especially after a storm. I feel so happy when my children are playing nicely together, because I have seen them fight. I love having a clean house, because I have seen it torn apart. I relish a delicious dinner, because I shopped and chopped and cooked and got it on the table for my family to enjoy. And I feel gratitude when I hug my healthy kids, because I have cared for them when they’ve been sick.

Here’s to Mother Eve who understood. She knew that there was more to life than a beautiful garden. She knew that hard times and work and children would bring frustration and sacrifice, but that they would also be the means to indescribable joy.

Here’s to the mothers out there, including the incredible women in my life. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your love and your work and your patience. Thank you for seeing the bigger picture and for helping us all grow. Thank you for everything you do to make the world (with all its thorns and thistles) a better place.