The Ooh-Aah Moment

My husband has received numerous plaques, awards, recognitions, special moments, certificates & bonuses during his 7 year stint in the Army thus far & he received yet another just the other day. I mentioned how I wished we had somewhere to hang all of his recognitions & special awards & being the joker he is, he said, "Oh, let's just put it in the trash." He doesn't like to accept the praise for his hard work, but I wasn't going to let him get away with that. So, I got on my pedestal & said, "When in my 8 years of being a mom have I EVER received an official award given to me by other adults? When have I been asked to attend a special ceremony where other adults would call my name & give me a shiny plaque with my name in gold writing, where they would shake my hand & say GREAT JOB & then others afterwards would say CONGRATULATIONS? Where are my plaques, my trophies, my rewards for a job well done???"

And then he lovingly grabbed my hand & it let me know he knew what I was saying & he realized his mistake. Then as I was exploring the Time Out For Women website I came across this devotional & this is just a part of it. It was exactly what I had been saying & feeling & I just had to share.

**There are so many things we do that no one notices or appreciates. At home, we call this an “ooo-ahh” moment. Can't remember where we got this – probably stole it from my older sister. But when I get something done, I'll call over a family member.

"I need an ooo-ahh! Look at this fridge. I've cleaned the whole thing! Doesn't it look great?" And the family will stand there and go, “Ooooo!! Ahhh!” Sometimes they'll even clap. And I feel good! Yes, sometimes they roll their eyes and say, “Oh, brother! This is dumb!” But that doesn't stop me.

You can be your own cheerleader. We don't have to wait for others to notice or to appreciate what we do.

You can clap and say, “Man! Great job on that diaper change!”

You can shout and say, “Yes! I lost an entire pound this week!”

You can look at yourself in the mirror, eyeball to eyeball, and say, “I have got to say that you are an amazing woman!” (this was my favorite part!!)

And don't mind what anybody else thinks. I will go on. Clapping in the car.

Clapping in the Car - You Can Be Your Own Cheerleader
by Merrilee Boyack