Pass the Coffee (And the Charity), Please
As a new mom, you can bet your second cup of coffee that I’m low on sleep.
And here’s the thing - I love sleep. I enjoy being well rested. But these days, “well-rested” isn’t a very accurate description of me.
Caffeinated? Yes.
Rested? Try again.
It can be easy for me to fall into the trap of resentment about this lack of sleep. When Maeve starts to stir after only twenty minutes of napping, I tend to freeze in whatever I’m doing, hoping that she nestles back into her comfy bed and falls asleep for just a few more minutes so I can get something (anything!) done around the house.
In the middle of the night (perfectly timed with my deep sleep cycle), her little peeps and chatter from her bedroom rouse me.
“Go back to sleep,” I find myself whispering as I wait just a few minutes to see if she’s up to stay up, or just stirring a little.
At 2am, making the decision to love is challenging. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been blessed with so many sweet moments cuddling Maeve in the middle of the night when she gets up to eat. But it’s still not easy.
I’ve been reading through “Becoming Holy, One Virtue at a Time” by Sara Estabrooks lately. The book is part of the Stay Connected Journals for Catholic Women published by Our Sunday Visitor. Inside, Sara offers a (practical!) guide to living the Theological and Cardinal virtues.
Listen to Sara talk about social media on our episode of Letters to Women!
It’s one thing to theorize and discuss the virtues - but it’s a whole different thing entirely to strive for them in your daily, ordinary life.
Sara dedicates a chapter to the virtue of charity, and her emphasis on loving others in the present, ordinary moments really hit home.
“Who knows, maybe someday we’ll be called to love God through great suffering, or maybe we never will. Perhaps we will love God with an endless offering of small crosses.” - Sara Estabrooks
She encourages readers to examine times in our lives where we pass up small opportunities to love while waiting for our chance to show love in big ways. Then, she encouraged readers to make a list of the small crosses, and think about how to respond to those crosses by sacrificing ourselves in a living martyrdom of love for God and others.
Immediately, getting up with Maeve in the middle of the night came to mind. And I began to (slowly, sleepily) see how God was inviting me into those moments.
Despite my tiredness, I could exist and just be with Maeve in those moments. I could will her good, especially when it means sacrificing something I want (like a few more precious minutes of sleep).
So pass a cup of coffee to this tired mom who’s working on growing in charity, one sweet baby nap and interrupted night at a time.
Want to know more about how to strive for holiness, one virtue at a time? You can pick up a copy of “Becoming Holy, One Virtue at a Time” wherever you regularly shop for books - including your local Catholic book stores!