Who Do You Want to Be?

Last night while I was hanging out with Sarah in her room she asked me who I would want to be if I could be anyone else in the world. My immediate thought was Faith Hill- cute, spunky, great smile, seemingly great life. But within 2 seconds I changed my mind- it's amazing how fast the brain can process and analyze all our different thoughts. Someone famous like Faith Hill hasn't even impacted my life or the life of my family. So the name I spoke aloud to Sarah was Jean Fleming. "Who?" you ask. So did Sarah. Probably 99.9% of the world has never heard of her. Many years ago she wrote a book called A Mother's Heart. I first read it when Sarah was almost one and I have read it cover-to-cover at least 5 other times. Other than the Bible, it has been the one thing that has most impacted my vision/goals/inspiration for mothering. Sarah said, "Do you know her?"- no. "Do you know anything about her?"- again no. It's amazing how someone that I don't even know is someone who has impacted my life and love of children. Why would I want to be her? Maybe because I, like all of us, have a desire to make a difference in someone's life; to be a valuable resource to those around us; to encourage other moms to not settle for the world's way of raising kids. We all need encouragement for the tasks at hand and to know we are not alone. We all seek that place and plan for our lives that is bigger than we are. We can all be significant to those around us, even if we never know their names. Isn't that a part of loving our neighbor? I pray that God would so fill my heart and mind that He would shine into the hearts and homes of those who need His peace, His love, His grace, His compassion, His hope and all the other blessings that are from Him.
I'm sure it is great to be famous and to know so many people. How much better to be known, if only even by name, by a few whose lives you have impacted for generations to come.