A Little Help

I have been tired lately. When I get tired I go on autopilot. The girls just do what they do and I shuffle around our house in a day-old glazed donut sort of stupor. I am more prone to get irritated with the girls when I'm tired, and on autopilot, because while on autopilot I'm not technically manning the plane and I don't notice some things. These things get past me, and then disaster strikes, and then I have to discipline rather than if I would have been paying attention to begin with, and able to nip at the root.
Well, last night I read a little brochure from Focus on the Family. Normajean had given it to me some years ago along with some others. It was entitled "The Value of Motherhood" and it had a number of helpful thoughts, along with this one: only as we invest much will the yield be great. It mentioned a few ladies, Susannah Wesley and Sarah Edwards in particular, who had more than ten children to raise and their homes to oversee as well. It talks about their role in their homes as teacher and spiritual mentor. Really, an incredible legacy from both of them to their children.
I want my mothering to be about a legacy. A root that goes down in my children's life, that feeds their children and their grandchildren. A desire for the Lord and His righteousness goes without saying. And there are other gifts I want them to possess, like empathy, integrity, joy, hope, gentleness, lady-like-ness, peacefulness.
I need a vision for this kind of mothering. A kingdom vision to be sure, and also a vision that carries me through day to day.