Do I Even Have a Why?

Recently, a wise and beautiful woman asked a question:

What is your WHY? Why do you do what you do?

I think this is a very powerful question that each and every one of us should ask ourselves on occasion as it actually makes you think about things. I should know, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this question since she asked it. So, I felt compelled to actually post my answer.

What do I do? What is my WHY?

I honestly used to think that I didn’t do anything. I’m a stay at home mom. I don’t work and often feel like I don’t contribute anything to my family. But then I actually thought about it and I realized that I was totally WRONG. I contribute a lot, even if it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.

First and foremost, I’m a mother to both of my beautiful children and a key part in raising them to be beautiful people. Because I am a stay at home mother, I am the one that raises them, I am the one that helps them with homework, and teaches them life lessons. Not some babysitter or nanny. It’s me. I get to be their role model.

Now, this is in NO WAY, condemning anyone who has to leave their children with a babysitter/nanny, or saying that you are any less of a parent because you have to work in order to make a living. I understand that, in this society, staying home is not always an option, even if you want it more than anything. What I am saying, is that I am lucky enough to be able to do that, even if it’s tough on us sometimes, and sometimes I take that for granted.

I love my children more than anything and being able to be here for them is the highlight of my life. Sure, just like any other child, they can get on my nerves and drive me crazy, and that sometimes makes me forget how lucky I truly am. Not many people get to be as involved in their kids’ lives as I get to be and it really is a blessing.

I babysit a child during the week for one of the Marines in my husband’s unit and I see how hard it is for her to be away from him so much. He spends more time with me during the week than he does with her and I can tell how much it hurts her. But, because she is a single mother, she needs to work in order to make a living. I have become a big part of this kid’s life too. Essentially helping to raise him and help him to be a better person. I never really realized how lucky I am to be able to do that for MY children as well. I have one of the biggest impacts on their lives and I never thought about that. Until now.

Along with being a mother, I am also a wife. A wife to a hardworking, loving, and caring man, who also happens to be a Marine. That means that, more often than not, he is at work, out in the field, or deployed. He is defending our country and our freedom, all while putting his life on the line. Which is another thing that used to make me feel like I don’t do anything… like I didn’t have a why. But I was wrong about that too.

My Why also includes taking care of the house, the bills, the cleaning, the laundry, as well as the kids, all so he doesn’t have to. So he doesn’t have to worry about anything other than staying safe while he is away. Because of my being a stay at home mom, I make it so my husband can focus on the task at hand and not have to worry about what’s going on back here.

Making sure he has a nice, clean, loving home to come back to is another one of my biggest and most precious jobs. I make his life easier! I help to make it safer by making sure that his mind is focused. That’s important! I’m important.

Sometimes it takes someone asking a simple question, like ‘What is your WHY?‘, to make you finally realize your worth. To finally fully understand your purpose. I used to HATE the fact that I felt so worthless, so useless. But now I realize that I am important. I’m not worthless or useless. My life and what I do, it has real meaning and that means so much to me. It definitely puts things into perspective.

I know that I will probably end up feeling that way again, it comes with the territory. But I also know that I will always remember that one simple question. The one that put everything into perspective.

WHAT IS YOUR WHY?!