Today was a very special kind of day.  

A day that I got to feel like a woman again, and not just a parent. 

   A day when I remembered that my name is actually Shelley, and not "Mama! Mama! MAAAAMMMMAAA!"   This type of rare and lovely day has a name.  It's called, Grandma Day.  I dropped my two littles off at their Grandma's, and headed for town, where I did a bit of shopping.  I had a few items I needed to exchange/return, but mostly I just enjoyed trying on things in a changing room without having a small person desperately trying to escape every 15 seconds. 

   I honestly, cannot remember the last time I was shopping alone.  What a truly incredible feeling.  And it is only when that privilege is stripped away that you realize just how unbelievably delicious it truly is.  Before that, we pretty much just take it for granted, don't we?

   That is why you see 16-yr-old kids strolling the malls looking BORED.  Because they can.  I want to scream when I see that.  Actually, that's not true. What I want to do, is give them my kids, 2-page long Christmas list and my 2-hour time limit, and put my feet up with a cup of coffee and sit back and watch.  I want to see them frantically scurrying around the stores trying to keep kids from peeing on things, spilling their Cheerios, or hiding in the clothing racks throwing fits. 

   But I guess I shouldn't worry too much, because one day, not far from now, they'll be the moms and dads of little ones, and I will be strolling the mall leisurely with my teenagers, while they battle strollers and diapers and bottles.  And then the joke will be on them.  But for now, when I get the rare, unusual chance for a day to myself, I take it.  Trust you me, I TAKE IT.  

    When I finished with my shopping, I hit the gym and had a glorious workout.  Well, glorious might be a stretch for huffing and puffing and sweating, but boy oh boy did it feel good.  Then after that, I ended up at the coffee shop to catch up on a little blogging before heading home.  And that is where I am now.

     Red-faced and messy-haired and feelin' great.  What a day, what a day.  If you are a mother, whether of one or seven, I strongly urge you to take these kinds of days.  If you don't have a mother/mother-in-law close by, hire a babysitter.  If you'd rather not pay for babysitting, trade with a fellow mom friend.  If you have no fellow moms or babysitting options, I'd recommend getting out and making some friends. And fast.  Because girl, you're going to need it. 

IT TAKES A VILLAGE.

   And sometimes that's not because our kids are just so much work they need all kinds of help....oh no.  Sometimes it's just because mommies need a day to remember who they were before they saw those two little pink lines.  They need to run and shop and breathe and write and feel alive again.  They need to just take a little alone time, and drink in the silence and listen to their own thoughts for once.

   Speaking of things that inspire, uplift, encourage, and make me feel alive.............this song is just one of those songs that I find it nearly physically impossible to listen to without ending up with my hands raised in worship.  It just moves me.  Do yourselves a big favor and listen to it.  I know, I know, it's a Christmas song and Christmas is far behind us, but I wasn't really posting then so.....it will just have to do.  Plus, there's no reason we shouldn't celebrate His birth year-round, right?  That's what I thought. 

Check it out.  And right around 2:43, crank it up.  You're welcome.