Colin and I returned Sunday night from speaking at the Above Rubies Family Retreat in San Diego. It was such a precious time catching up with families who have been coming for years and meeting lovely new families. This is the 23rd retreat that Gary and Trish Evans have organized for Southern California. Isn’t that amazing?
I was talking to one lovely mother who is expecting her 10th baby. She shared with me a lovely testimony. On a recent Sunday morning at church some of the young mothers asked her how she survived with so many children.
“Oh, more is easier,” she replied.
“Truly?” they gasped in surprise.
She then shared with them her testimony of that very morning: “I hadn’t slept well last night and because I’m pregnant, I slept in a little later. When I got up, I noticed my 13-year-old daughter preparing breakfast and getting all the clothes ready for the other children to wear to church. Another daughter was looking after the baby. All was well.
“So I leisurely took a shower and then spent some time reading the Word. When I came out to the kitchen the breakfast was all waiting on the table and we sat down together.”
It is true that when you have many children, they are not all little toddlers! Each child grows every year. And each child you train to take a little more responsibility and do their specific tasks.
Each time a new baby comes along there are more and more arms wanting to hold the baby and play with him. There are more helpers to help with meals and keep the home running smoothly.
I think the most overwhelming time of motherhood is when you have your first two or three children. You have no helpers. But as children come along, you have more and more helpers. And yes, it’s true, more noise! But also more love, more cuddles, more joy and laughter, more entertainment, more playmates for your children, and more blessings.
It’s God’s way for family life.
Love from Nancy Campbell
Picture: Eric and Meriwyn with their children in order of age: Jessie, Leah, Dwight, Haddie, Robert, Rosie, John, Rachel, and Stephen and new baby coming. They live in Hemet, California.
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P.S. Don't you love family pictures?