Hiding Out

I like time by myself every day. I've heard that everyone needs at least 30 minutes a day (alone) to think, so they don't go insane. Maybe that explains why so many of us, as mothers, feel insane sometimes!

My techniques have varied over the years. Sometimes I wake up a little earlier than everyone else (like on the days when all the stars are in alignment). Lately, I give Spencer a bottle and some toys in the morning after I've changed his diaper, and I let him hang out in the pack and play until he starts yelling. That gives me at least 20 minutes.

Other times, I lock myself in my room after I've tucked the children in bed, and I take a bath while I read. When they come knocking on the door to tell me that someone is still talking or to ask that I rearrange their sheets or check out a toenail, I call out, "It's mommy's quiet time. You'll need to wait!"

My mom used to hide out in the car in front of the house. She called it her "office," and she'd take all her books and notepads and pens and highlighters out there. We'd be looking all over for her (all of us were a little older by this time, so it wasn't a hazard to leave us in the house alone). Finally, we'd peek out the front window, and she'd be caught! We'd all file out the front door to talk to her about what we wanted to do, eat, etc.

It's kind of funny to think about what moms go through to get some quiet time. One of my sisters was taking a college course when she had three preschoolers. She gave them three baths a day and took her beach chair in the bathroom just so her boys would be contained while she went through her class notes. Classic. Those were some clean boys.

I was feeling a little sorry for myself the other day when I was "hiding out," because I wondered if there would ever really be a time when I could think without feeling like I should be doing something else. But then I started reading about the life of the Savior, and He did the same thing. He would get up early in the morning to go off and pray to His Father (Mark 1:35-39). When the disciples went and found Him, they said, "All men seek for thee." I kind of giggled when I read that because I replaced the words in my head with, "All the children seek for thee." That is the story of my life.

Even now, as I am trying to finish this post, my baby is growling at the end of my bed (but he's so cute, I don't mind), and my children need lunch, and we all need to get ready for church unless we want to show up in our jammies. It gets a little hectic sometimes when you're always needed, but I am SO glad I am.

I'm sure the Savior knew He was needed, and He knew His life was dedicated to taking care of others. He took the opportunities to pray and think and commune with His Father whenever He could, but being interrupted was all right. He said, in Mark 1:38 "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for therefore came I forth." He came to the earth for the people, and we came here to earth for our families.

My mom was always praying by the side of her bed when I went into her room. But she would always stop what she was doing, open her arms, and give me a big hug. I asked her once, "What do you say in your prayer when we interrupt you? She replied, "I just tell him I need to talk to one of my children, and I'll be right back." That meant a lot to me. Now, I think of Him when all the children seek for me, and when it's quiet, I thank the Lord for those moments.