false

For such a small word, No packs a big punch.

     Mom, can I have ice cream and cookies before dinner?   No

     Can I drink and drive responsibly?  No

     Dad, can I use the car tonight?  No

     Can I sleep around without ramifications?  No

     Will you go out on a date with me?  No

     Can I lose fifty pounds overnight?  No

     Is it going to snow is July?  No

     Mom, can I play ball in the street?  No

     Can I win the lottery without buying a ticket?  No

     God, can I be a mom?  No

Sometimes No is a physical impossiblity.  As much as I'd like to wake up fifty pounds lighter, it just isn't going to happen.  Nor am I going to grow wings and learn how to fly.

Sometimes it's a personal preference.  I really don't want to go out drinking and dancing at the local bar.  I don't want to chair that committee.  And, no, I don't think you look good in green and purple horizontal stripes.

Sometimes that No keeps us from bad consequences.  I won't drunkenly crash the car.  I won't get an STD.  I'll eat a healthier meal if I skip the cookies before dinner.

But what if the reason for the No isn't so apparent?  I think as Catholic women we feel the sting of God's No to children particularly strongly.  It's painful.  Being a mother is what we were created for.  Or is it?  What if God put me here for some other reason.  It doesn't always seem clear to me what it is.  I have to trust, believe, and have faith.  Is that easy?  Emphatically No!

Can I still be happy?  Most certainly!  How?  By looking for truth, beauty and goodness in the world God has given me.  Is it easy?  Well . . . maybe.