I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore...

I'm tired. So very, very tired. I have this baby who, although she just turned one, still has no interest in sleeping through the night. I'm coming up on 400 straight nights of getting up anywhere between 1 and 4 times. I find myself at my wit's end too early in the day most days, my patience and energy running out way before the daylight does. I start to complain sometimes, but I'm stopped in my tracks.

You see, I am a woman. In many ways I admit I've seen us as having gotten the short end of the stick. Between PMS, childbirth, post-partum blues, maintenance of the outward appearance, and many other things that come with being a woman, there's a lot to complain about. But there are blessings that no man can fully understand. Of six pregnancies, I've managed to grow and give birth to four amazing children. I've been able to give birth to all of them within the walls of my own home, and to experience the work that made their arrivals the sweetest bliss of my life. Something out of this world happens when you've felt the whole thing, every pang, stretch, burn and pain. There's a floating-above-the-earth euphoria that engulfs you the moment that baby arrives. For me, that is the closest to God and the closest to God-like that I've ever felt.

I am a woman, and so my friends are my sisters (and brothers) whom I love and to whom I am loyal right down to the last helpful thing I can say or give to them, even when distance or time may separate us.

I am a woman, and so although I face challenges imperfectly, I will, even crawling, keep moving forward.

I am a woman, and so when you suffer, I feel it with you.

I am a woman, and I am the glue of my family, past, present and future.

I am woman, and I believe I have not only a Father, but also a Mother in Heaven, who like most mothers, quietly and lovingly guides me, especially in those areas where women have stewardship.

I am a woman and I am tired. I'm busy and I'm a mess. But on the inside, I feel like this...

...and I wouldn't have it any other way.