While walking along our farm trails last fall, Anna picked a milkweed pod from its stem, cradling it in her delicate hands. The covering was dried and cracked. Its innards, silky white wings with dark seeds attached, took flight on the breeze as Anna opened the dead tombs. Hundreds of seeds, all with the possibility of new life. If only they could find good soil and take root.

If only.

I thought about the subject of parenting as Anna held those pods. It’s easy to become dry by pouring our lives out for our kids. It’s easy to become empty shells, shuffling through life with no energy.

We suffer from exhaustion and, sometimes, we suffer from downright frustration or depression. We have little left over for our spouses, let alone ourselves.

Problem is, when we don’t take care of ourselves, we’re not much good at taking care of our loved ones. Problem is, when all we do is DO, we end up dry, cracked, and empty.

Ask me how I know!

Join me for the remainder of this post at Jolene Philo’s A Different Dream