Mother of God, Nurturer of Children

Icon of the Mother of God, "Nurturer of Children"

Some days around here are especially difficult, just because having three very small children comes with having to meet a lot of needs throughout the day, and it can become quite trying for the Mama when there isn't enough of her to go around!

Lately I have been trying to come up with ways to keep myself motivated and to not give up on days like these. One thing that I realized I should do, which I have never done until now, is to read an Akathist to the Mother of God. Who better to look for for help than the Mother of Our Lord? I can't believe I have never done this before. Prayer from your own self is one thing - at least for me, sometimes it's hard to even find the words to pray for what I feel I am in need of. Other days, I'm too exhausted to even think about a prayer of my own. So I find it to be the most fitting for me right now to read a prayer or prayers that are already written down (and have been written by someone much more holy than I!)

I wanted to share this beautiful Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. It can be found and printed at this link. For the last few nights, all I have done was read 3 ikoses and kontakions (so night one, I read Ikos 1, Kontakion 1, Ikos 2, Kontakion 2, Ikos 3, Kontakion 3). I decided to start slow because it was late at night, but also because I don't want to overwhelm myself if I do not have time to read the entire thing some nights - which is very likely. After the first night, I woke up the next morning so much more peaceful, and I had a much easier time dealing with my children that day. It was incredible. My son, who is my biggest challenge these days, even listened to me on the first time for most of the day! It was so rewarding, and all I had done was reach out for extra help to the Mother of God, which took up just a few minutes of my time. I've been keeping up since, and my days are flowing more smoothly thanks to Her help. It's funny how just a little extra effort can go such a long way!