Enough

The kids started school two weeks ago, and now it's 98 degrees out? Summer wasn't quite ready to die. So I, too, will act as if it's alive and well. 

This morning I dragged my sister's inflatable pool and water slide out from the garage and hosed off the mud. I stood outside, soaking wet with sweat and hose water and dirt, and scrubbed it until it shined for over thirty VERY HOT minutes. I did it because I know my kids will LOVE seeing it blown up when they get home from school. They'll race inside to put on their bathing suits and run out with a smile on their faces. They won't stop to thank me for the work it took this morning to clean it off, or the work it will take to set it up in 98-degree weather this afternoon. 

This is parenthood. This is the life of a mama or a papa who works tirelessly when no one is looking to make the magic happen in the summer, or on holidays, or on their birthdays. It's the life of a mom or dad who works long shifts and travels out of state and sits through long commutes. It's thankless, yes, but it's beautiful nonetheless. Why?

Because God sees you and delights in all you do for them. He sees my husband, and how he gives his job his all so that he can provide everything his family needs. He sees me (and laughs), as I scrub at plastic slides in the midst of a heat wave so that my kiddos can delight in it this afternoon. 

He sees. He knows. And this is what helps us keep on going when all of our hard work is done without any congratulations at all. We don't need the accolades of man or the praise of our children. We just need God to see our hidden work and acknowledge that it is good.

He sees you Dear Saint, and smiles - which will always be enough.