The List

A dear friend sent me a copy of this poem last year. With moving in two weeks (selling a home & preparing for a new one), caring for a 3 week old (who prefers to be held. all the time.), and a toddler (who though largely cooperative is bursting with energy and excitement), amidst other odds and ends related and unrelated, I really needed to read this poem again. Whether or not you're a mama, and whether or not you usually enjoy sentimental poetry, I hope it encourages you to re-examine your List.

The List

I made my list of things to do,

So much to be done before the day is through!

I wrote: Kitchen floor has got to be mopped,

And weeds in the garden have got to be chopped!

Sit down and sew for an hour or two,

Write a few letters long overdue!

Finish the laundry from yesterday,

Wash and dry dishes, put them away.

Of course, there is breakfast, then dinner to make.

Bake some cookies or maybe a cake?

But in all the things I had to get done,

There were a few things I didn’t count on.

There was Baby to rock in the rocking chair,

Kiss his sweet cheeks, feel his soft hair.

Help little brother clean up his mess,

Speak a kind word, give a caress.

A problem to solve between toddlers at play,

They come up so often every day.

Open the door for the children to go out,

Stand there and watch them run and shout.

At the end of the day I looked at my list,

So many duties that I had missed!

Half of the laundry still hung on the line,

The weeds in the garden are still doing fine!

The sewing machine has been idle all day,

At least the dishes are out of the way.

Even though the day went by so fast,

Some things I’ve done will always last.

The Bible story I took time to tell,

The prayer we shared when a little one fell.

The gentle smile and kind word I spoke

When my favorite dish was dropped and broke.

Sometimes it takes far more than the rod

To point little precious souls to God.

My list will be crumpled and thrown away.

I’ve had little children to love today!

So, now this morning I make a new list,

Toys to play with, cheeks to be kissed.

Make this day for the children fun,

And anything extra I manage to get done.

--Esther Headings