Becky Kopitzke

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Who Took My Stapler?

May 5, 2014

Before I had children, I owned possessions. Now I share community supplies.

“Who took my stapler?” I yelled upstairs from the basement office, where I’d just spent 60 fruitless seconds searching through desk drawers and under stacks of manila envelopes.

“What, Mommy?” My seven-year-old called back from the kitchen.

“My stapler,” I said, emerging from the stairs. “Do you know where it is?”

“Oh, I borrowed it. I needed it for my craft. I’m writing a book.”

Really? I’m writing a book, too. And I need my stapler.

Who took my stapler?

“Can I have it back, please?” I glanced behind my daughter at the kitchen table where my stapler sat tipped on its side amid a pile of construction paper scraps and Elmer’s glue bottles. Of course, there were no more staples left in it.

Such is the life of a mom.

Nothing is mine anymore. My hairbrush is fair game for any female, my bathroom cabinet is overrun with sparkly pink hairclips and Tinkerbell Band-Aids, my slippers are now a pair of jet skis for plastic dinosaurs, and my private stash of Rolos is half eaten before I even get a craving to rip open the bag.

Why can’t I just have my own stuff, for crying out loud?

“Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own,” (Luke 12:15, NLT).

Imagine if everything we moms possessed were left untouched by other people.

No more missing staplers.

No more chocolate fingerprints on the piano keys.

No more piles of someone else’s laundry spilling out the hamper.

No more scratches on the furniture or crayon marks on the walls.

No more favorite faces peeking around the shower curtain.

No more sweet voices filling our quiet hours.

No more laughter, dreams, or memories generated by the chaos of community beneath one roof.

Hmmm. Do my Rolos really matter that much?

Well . . . .

Okay, no.

Definitely no.

Never in a million lifetimes no.

So I’ll risk my desk supplies, my makeup drawer, my slippers and my sanity—all for the precious payback of day after day shared with the people I love far more than possessions.

When I measure my life in those terms?

I am filthy rich indeed.

And so are you.

Blessings,
Becky

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Filed Under: Dying to Self, Growing Pains, Parenting, Personal Growth & Faith, Raising Young Kids, School Years, Sentimental Tagged With: christian parenting, contentment, counting blessings, devotion, devotional, family, motherhood, parenting

Comments

  1. Nicki says

    May 7, 2014 at 7:47 am

    Great post on something every mom can relate to! I remember my mother getting frustrated about this, and now I have the same experiences. Little ones give us so many ways to develop patience and perspective 🙂

    • Becky says

      May 9, 2014 at 6:54 am

      Indeed they do, Nicki! I firmly believe that God uses parenting to chisel us in ways nothing else can.

  2. Jeri says

    May 7, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    My husband yells about the kids stealing his stapler.all.the.time too! So funny. When you have kids, nothing is YOURS anymore. Sometimes we forget about sharing. And that it’s not about stuff. Thanks for the reminder.

    • Becky says

      May 9, 2014 at 6:53 am

      Funny…my husband’s stapler is STILL missing!

  3. Stacey says

    May 7, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    I’ve gotten used to having my things disappear, only to find them in my daughter’s room! It can be frustrating, thank you for putting it in perspective!!

    • Becky says

      May 9, 2014 at 6:51 am

      You and me both, Stacey!

  4. Karmen says

    May 8, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    Ouch. This hit close to home. My hairbrush is a BIG source of stingy for me. I do. not. like. to. share. it. And my laptop. And my bike. Clearly I needed to read this post! Thanks for writing it!

    • Becky says

      May 9, 2014 at 6:51 am

      Communal living… Such a joy! 🙂

  5. Heather @ Encouraged at Home says

    May 8, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    Love this post. This is so the life of a mom! And how wonderful it is!

    • Becky says

      May 9, 2014 at 6:50 am

      Wonderful, indeed, Heather! Thanks for reading!

  6. Shell says

    May 13, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    Well, my chocolate *might* be that important. 😉

  7. Richella Parham says

    May 15, 2014 at 8:25 am

    I love this, Becky! Thanks for the reminder to keep things in perspective. 🙂

    Thank you for joining Grace at Home. I’m featuring you this week!

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If you love your kids but you sometimes forget to feed them lunch, if you're crazy about your husband but some days you want to set his hunting gear on fire, and if you adore Jesus with your whole heart yet you mess up time and time again, then you and I are friends already.

We need each other. I'm so glad you're here.

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