She Did Everything With Her Heart

A mother feels pain; she gets tired; but she feels neither the pain nor the tiredness. She pushes herself to do everything, but because she loves her children and she loves her home, she does everything with joy. Someone who is constantly resting gets more tired than she does. I remember, when we were young, my mother had to carry water from the well that was very far away from our home. She had to cook, bake, wash the clothes, and she even had us children driving her crazy, and on top of that, she had to be the fair judge whenever we fought. But she used to say, "This is my duty; I'm required to do all these things without complaining." She said this in the good sense. She truly loved her house; she loved her children, and she did not tire with the chores; she did everything with her heart, with joy.
And as the years go by, a mother will love her home all the more. Even though she grows older, she sacrifices herself all the more, even to raise grandchildren. And because she does this with her heart - although her strength has diminished - she seems to have more endurance than her husband, and even more endurance than she had in her youth.
- St. Paisios the Athonite, Spiritual Counsels IV, Family Life