I learned an important lesson from a tired mama moose, of all things. Maybe you struggle with the season you're in. This might help. #seasons #toddlermom #teenmom #parenting #relationships #selfcare #acceptance #affirmations #wereinthistogether

I learned an important lesson from a tired mama moose, of all things.

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT
I learned an important lesson from a tired mama moose, of all things. Maybe you struggle with the season you're in. This might help. #seasons #toddlermom #teenmom #parenting #relationships #selfcare #acceptance #affirmations #wereinthistogether

What Season Are You In?

“I just saw a mama moose with triplets!” my daughter exclaimed.

“Where?”

“In the woods next to the road.”

“Aargh! I don’t have my camera!” I said. “I’m running back to camp to grab it. Hopefully, she’ll stick around.”

“Be careful,” my daughter cautioned, “you don’t want an overprotective, thousand-pound, mama moose charging you.”

I kept to the other side of the road and sprinted as fast as I could back to our campsite. By the time I returned and took up position across the wide parking lot, the tired mama moose and three babies had meandered closer to the road.

I focused on the adorable triplets with their soft brown fur and giant black eyes. Their long ears swiveled as they took in everything. Occasionally they would grasp a nearby bush or branch in their teeth and pull—mimicking their mother.

I took a few shots of the mother, too. But her gaunt figure and rough coat didn’t have the same photogenic appeal as her babies. She looked frazzled, frayed at the edges, and just plain worn out. A typical tired mama.

Hope for a Tired Mama

I thought back to my time as a tired mama. Two daughters, born 17 months apart, and I struggled with motherhood. Late nights, mountains of laundry, meal prep, working full time, daycare, colds, coughs, fevers, and uncertainty in my ability to handle it all.

I could relate to the poor mama moose. She deserved to have her photo taken, too. I focused on her again and remembered how much I craved affirmation during those difficult baby and toddler years. Was I doing it right? This mystery called motherhood? Would I inadvertently ruin our daughters’ lives by some mistake I made? Was I the only tired mama who felt as if I couldn’t get anything right?

I appreciated every sympathetic smile from an older woman as I cradled a cranky, colicky baby in public. When my toddler repeatedly kicked the pew in front of us and an older parishioner turned to smile and ask a distracting question, I would sigh with relief. Other people understood.

The tired mama moose reminded me we each have seasons in our lives. My season of caring for toddlers passed, and new seasons took its place. Every season presents new challenges, but more importantly, each season should leave us with compassion for those who come behind us.

I don’t want to turn into a curmudgeon who scowls at toddlers in church or gives teens the stink eye. Unless the teen is one of my students misbehaving in class. I want to accept each of my new seasons, and accept the seasons others pass through, too. Wouldn’t the world seem kinder if we all remembered the seasons?

How could you reach out to someone going through a season you’ve passed through?

I learned an important lesson from a tired mama moose, of all things. Maybe you struggle with the season you're in. This might help. #seasons #toddlermom #teenmom #parenting #relationships #selfcare #acceptance #affirmations #wereinthistogether

The End of a Season

If you’ve dropped by every day in February for a new Nature Lover’s Devo, thank you! I’ve enjoyed the Write 28 Days Challenge this year, the friends I’ve made, and the blogs I’ve discovered. If you’re a book lover, I post book reviews each Tuesday on new and upcoming releases. On Sundays, I host a link-up for bloggers (Inspire Me Monday) and a short, actionable podcast episode on self-care. Occasionally I write a devotional or inspirational piece on Thursdays or Fridays, too, as part of the Five Minute Friday challenge.

Once again, thank you, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this devotional series.

7 Comments

  1. Agreed, Anita, this is a beautiful nature series. I have learned so much about nature and life through your devotions. And you have me thinking about who I might reach out to in a season I have passed.

  2. I agree, Anita, “I want to accept each of my new seasons, and accept the seasons others pass through, too. Wouldn’t the world seem kinder if we all remembered the seasons?” Definitely! Compassion and consideration for those who have gone before us, those who are coming after us and those walking beside us in the same season.

    Thank you for hosting this 28-Day Writing Challenge, Anita. I have enjoyed your nature series this year. I appreciate your writings and your photography. Both are inspirational!
    Lisa Blair recently posted…Tired and Weary? God Gives StrengthMy Profile

  3. I’ve really enjoyed your series, Anita! I always learn new things and am encouraged by you. Thanks for hosting the challenge again!

    “I want to accept each of my new seasons, and accept the seasons others pass through, too. Wouldn’t the world seem kinder if we all remembered the seasons?” Yes indeed!
    Lisa notes recently posted…7 Books I Recommend—February 2022My Profile

  4. Anita, I absolutely loved this post! Every year when we go on vacation, I HOPE to see a moose. I am serious. So this post drew me in quickly. But the analogy is priceless and the sweetest, because it is true. We do get frazzled and tired and worn. Praying that every season has, and continues, to leave me with compassion for those who come behind me.
    Joanne Viola recently posted…Spread Some Cheer {{Let’s Have Coffee}}My Profile

  5. Anita, I loved this series, perhaps you could make it a regular thing, even if only monthly! This article especially hits home for every mama! Though my 3 children were a tad better spaced, I still ended up with two toddlers and an infant, plus working part time. Oh how many times I felt not only weary, but so inadequate! Thank you for sharing your story!

  6. This is such an important point, Anita: “Each season should leave us with compassion for those who come behind us.” It drives me crazy when I hear women with grown children talk to younger moms about how awful the teen years are or say things like, “You couldn’t pay me enough do that again.” Talk about the opposite of encouraging! I always try to offer a different perspective when I hear this, either right than or with the younger mom later. I love your seasons analogy and the moose triplets are so cute!
    Lois Flowers recently posted…Share Four Somethings: February 2022My Profile

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Anita Ojeda

Anita Ojeda juggles writing with teaching high school English and history. When she's not lurking in odd places looking for rare birds, you can find her camping with her kids, adventuring with her husband or mountain biking with her students.

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