There's Beauty In It All

There is beauty in the tantrums, the hot, angry tears, the bad days, and those unbelievably trying moments of parenting.

There is beauty in the broken things, the sticky spills, and the ugly words. There is beauty in that fight you had, the door that slammed. There is beauty in those things you hate, the parts of life that seem to have no fix.

Of all the things you do in a day checking mundane tasks off that list, loving when you don't feel loved, smiling when you feel unrest, cleaning when you want to sleep, giving when you want to quit, and mothering when you want to sink there is beauty in it all.

There is beauty in those chores you do, the clothing you wash, the hair you detangle, and the food you prepare. There is grace found within the harshness of the day in a kiss, a hug, or a thank you.

There is beauty in the hands that take care of so much hands that can cover more ground with good intentions than any army at war. Without those hands there would be no meals, no love notes, no holding tight in comfort, and no soft, soothing caress in in the darkness.

There is beauty in raising children who may not ever know how much you agonized over every decision made throughout their entire lives. There is beauty in the tears you cried on their first day of kindergarten, their first day of high school, and their last day in your home.

Being a parent is ugly in so many ways. It bites at your self-confidence, it kicks at your stamina. It swallows you whole. But the beauty is always mixed in there, somewhere. It's the accomplishments you witness, the gratitude that's finally given, and the pride flowering in your heart.

There is beauty in the ugliness. The ugly, dirty, painful struggle that is so often parenting is also the agony of growing up.

There is beauty mixed in with the blood, sweat, and tears of caring for a child without losing who you are. There is beauty in discovering more of who you are through your child. There is beauty in making so many mistakes that failure just becomes a part of the journey. There is beauty within those failures because there is also growth.

How many days have you wondered what it was all for? How many days have you missed the beauty? How many days did you only focus on the ugliness?

There is beauty in all of the goodnight stories, all of the rushed school mornings, all of the bittersweet goodbyes, and all of the tender reunions. There is beauty in the daily monotony which seems never-ending and there is beauty in all of the mess that never seems to get cleaned up.

There is always beauty to be found in parenting even on days when it feels ugly.

More from Michelle: 6 Life Lessons Ive Learned As A Stepmom

You can read more from Michelle about life, parenting, step-parenting, relationships, marriage, divorce, and body image on her blog, The Pondering Nook & also listen to her co-hosting at The Broads Way Podcast . You can also follow Michelle on Instagram and Pinterest .