like mother, like daughter

So I am taking a break from cutting out stencil lettering (FROM PALM SPRINGS TO SAN JOSE) to be used tomorrow morning when the pastor's wife spray paints the lettering onto a wooden box, that my pastor will be inside of to start of the morning service!!! I spent the latter part of the evening at the church getting tables out of storage, tablecloths prepped, and redoing and printing, cutting, and stuffing the sermon outline into the bulletin among other tasks such as tracking down spray paint and readjusting the production document.

I know that during the latter part of the evening and on into the night my mum, some 2, 3 hours north of here is making pasta salad and fruit salad to feed approximately 90 people tomorrow at their church picnic. I know that she spent the good part of the day in a meeting for the church, and the rest finishing off shopping for church that she hadn't finished purchasing the day before.

So you see 'like mother, like daughter' - in this and in so many other ways. (Least of all in terms of beauty and grace - but that is another topic all together!!!)

I was thinking today about that - about having a family, and it was as if I intuitively know that I won't have the storybook family. I know, nobody really does. What I mean when I refer to the storybook family is that of having the husband and wife, and the passel of children and the dad working a relatively normal job - maybe an occassional late night. The mum staying at home and running the home and caring for the children. Taking holidays and day trips together. Carting little boys and girls to soccer practice and drama rehearsals...

When I thought of my God given desire, because yes it is God given, of being a wife and mum to a degree this above mental image would come to mind. The simple fact of the matter is that currently I am single, but that doesn't mean that the desire won't come to fruition, but what it does equate to is not necessarily my envisioning.

LIke mother, like daughter my life won't be simple. It certainly hasn't been to this point, so I suppose why attempt to change the status quo?!

I see my life full, I claim that promise. But like I mentioned it is as if I intuitively know that it won't be what I've had pictured. My life in the future will be full of hope and joy but in a way that I can't even begin to imagine.

I am reminded of the verse which speaks of God promising us much more than we could ask for or imagine. And if what I imagine to be good and true (the storybook) then how much more does God have planned for me...

I can only hope that whatever it is that I embrace and live it in such a way that I can truly be like mother, like daughter.