Joy of a Mother

Mother's Day this year was a bit different from any other Mother's Day that I have experienced in my previous fourteen years of being a mom. This is my second Mother's Day since the passing of my own mom. Last year is a blur. This one I decided to focus on blessings. Of course, I received the annual school crafted cards with the clever, heartfelt poems that were branded by painted hands, slightly smeared, that tend to make them even more precious. I gave birth to my firstborn at the age of 26, which I think is pretty average given the company that we encounter at our neighborhood parks and other parent/child rendezvous spots. Parenting has been a kite ride of ups and downs where many techniques have taking a few tries to get up in the air and going and when they finally do, it seems like smooth sailing until a tree somehow grows so quickly that you never saw it coming and your kite gets caught up there; then, you finally get it wiggled out just to come crashing down again. I know... that parenting metaphor might not make the experience sound too appealing but those unexpected turns of events is what grows us up as parents and make life just a little more interesting than it might have been otherwise.

This Mother's Day I began my week in deep and sometimes lighthearted reflections and revelations about how parenting our four children has changed my life,as I am sure many of you can attest to similar findings. I found much joy in waking up and connecting the pieces of how greatly the nurturing nature of my mother has impacted the relationships between my children and I. I have to emphasize the word relationships with an s because each relationship that I share with each of our children is unique in such an awesome way. I would have never thought that they could be so completely different all coming from just the two of us, but the truth is they were meant to be that way and I appreciate every unique feature about each of their personalities.

So on this Mother's Day I decided to write them a letter letting them know, as much as I could on one page, how deeply they are loved and how extremely proud of him/her that I truly am. Here is a excerpt from the letter to my youngest daughter....

.....You are such a clever, funny and emotional young lady. I appreciate how much you want others to be happy ....You have a big heart and I pray that even though life may bring heartaches from time to time that your heart will never break. You have so much love to give and I know this for sure because you give me a little of your heart every time I hear you laugh and see you smile. Every time you give me a hug or a picture you drew, or a glass of water when you think I need one or that uncontrollable giggle of yours I feel your love.Thank you for being a part of my life. Don't ever forget that kindness and forgiveness will take you further in life than anger and unforgiveness. Stay strong and confident.....

I wanted to share this with parents to encourage you to "not sweat the small stuff" and sometimes to not even sweat the not-so-small stuff. We get through and we have those memories that last far longer than those moments that find us asking ourselves will the screaming never end or will the rebellious phases never pass. And to the future parents, there is so much joy in raising a child. Focus on joy!

Putting my thoughts and feelings for our children on paper has given me a boost of encouragement and reminded me of just how grateful the blessing of parenthood has been .