The Sum of All of It

If I meet a new person and the topic comes up, the moment the number of children we're raising is mentioned, the next question is always, "How do you do that?" 

This past year, I adopted a daily rosary to strengthen my prayer life. Prayer had become a list for God to do that I got to when I needed it, and well, it needed to be that I needed to pray before I had a list for God of things He needed to help me to do. Saying 66 prayers a day! I thought.  How do I do that? 

Around the same time, my younger brother started seriously running, training for a marathon.  Running 26 miles and 385 yards.  And he's made it through at least two that I know about. How do you do that?

And I thought of my other brother who taught himself guitar to the point of being at least in my estimation, magnificent at making that six string sing.   How do you do that?

And my daughter in high school was learning to sew.  She made me an apron. How do you do that?

And my daughter in kindergarten is learning to read. How do you learn that?

And I am writing a book.  How do you do that?

One prayer, one step, one chord, one stitch, one letter, one word, one kid, one moment at a time. 

All of life is what we pour into each moment.  All of our relationships are made up of the kisses, the lectures, the cupcakes, the finding of shoes, the errands, the meals, the clean ups and the games, the bath times and brushed teeth and bedtime stories, all of it, is the sum of all of it.

And all this time I thought I stunk at math.