*My oldest when she was just a wee one*
I have a lot of names.
From 7:45 am-2:45 pm Monday-Friday I'm Ms. Lauren to a group of 23 eight-year-olds.
From 3:30 pm-8:30 pm I usually go between Mommy and the Princess... sometimes Ariel, sometimes Cindarella, it depends on a certain three-year-olds current Disney movie preference.
From 9:00 pm-10:00 pm I am Lauren, wifey, or babe... usually a combination of the three.
And in between all of that I am sometimes cook, dog hair sweeper, toy cleaner, tooth brusher, diaper changer, blog writer... you get the point.
It's a lot.
The thing is, I like all of my names. I really do. But how do I carry them all? If they are all said at once it ends up sounding like an incoherent shout.
As I navigate this season of life, I am finding that I'm able to grasp my name so much more when it becomes fewer.
As the voices start to quiet down, I am reminded of the voice that calls me daughter.
How it seems I've forgotten this one.
Maybe it's because this voice doesn't shout, but simply speaks. It asks me to recognize my name as daughter. To wear it and soak in it.
To let it be first. The rest can follow.
This is such a realistic place to be and yet sometimes gets a little messy. As a drama therapist, one of our most used assessments is to have a client place their roles in different categories. We usually place them in PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE columns or I WAS, I AM, I WOULD LIKE TO BE. Of course, some roles are in more than one column. Some of the roles may be seen as more positive (to the client) and others may be more judgmental. The beautiful thing is that most of us are able to navigate between these roles at our leisure. It becomes unhealthy when we are ONLY one or two roles. Being able to express ourselves in different ways makes us who we are. In getting to know you, I think that you are such an amazing person--woman, Christian, wife, mother, sister, teacher, seeker, leader, etc. Having an affinity to Daughter makes sense because it is one of our first roles where many of us feel safe and protected...As I read this blog entry, I am excited (and a bit nervous) to be adding the mommy role to my repertoire soon. I am keeping in mind that I will still be other roles as well. Keeping this balance might be challenging at times but I am definitely ready. Love you!
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