Pondering Life’s Wonders

Today, seventeen years ago my daughter made me a momma. It is so hard to believe that I have someone that old that is my child, but I would not want to wake up from this dream if I had to. Now don’t get me wrong she is a typical teenager in which she is the perfect button pusher but at the same time her heart is made of gold. So today we celebrate her with cake, presents and kicking her out of the house to shop all day (we tried to do the party thing but she declined). So due to the fact that she is out of the house, and the other two kids decided to have outside engagements it has left me to my lonesome to ponder life’s wonders.

First on my list, have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a cat? Ok, so I was talking to my brother with a video chat when I realized I had never actually been shown his house. So while he was giving me the “tour” his two cats showed up. One of them quickly disappeared (probably had too much attention placed on it with the video), while the other one decided to settle in on the couch. They had been outside probably plotting someone’s demise when they saw that the back door had been opened. Luckily my brother was ready and able to feed them as soon as they put their pretty little feet on the kitchen floor. We started talking about them of course which made me start thinking about what it would be to be a cat. Basically you get loved on, on your terms, if someone doesn’t feed you right away you can go lay on their heads or go hunt for yourself. You rule everything! My middle child won’t even get up to go to the bathroom if her cat is laying on her, she will hold it until her eyeballs turn yellow. This then made me think about the fact that teenagers are just cats. The description fits them perfectly.

The other thing that got my brain to start wandering is how on earth does a single action have so much power over the outcome of a moment? I had just gotten back from a trip that had been longer than I first expected. When I got back to work, my dear friend came up to me and gave me a hug. With that single gesture my outlook for the rest of the day was brighter. I have talked about this friend before and how she is the perfecter of hugs. Like she should teach a class on them she is so good. A hug from her can make the worries for the moment just fade away. On top of being a world class hugger, she is a prayer warrior. She will come at a situation and think through it with prayer on her mind. It’s amazing!

Lastly on this special day, I thought about all the ways in which I have been blessed to be a momma. I have three wonderful kids. They are all button pushers but have big hearts. We have fun together, learn together, roll our eyes and my husbands bad dad jokes together, and even work together. I wish I could give them more hugs but my two oldest have informed me they have grown out of that stage, so my youngest is stuck taking the brunt of the hug monster. The more I am around them, the more I realize they have more cat-like characteristics than I ever thought possible. I have learned that patience really is a virtue, that being tough is sometimes really hard, and that picking my battles is so very important. I am a better person because of my kids, and I have also learned what it is that I will stand for. I pray hard for them, and force myself to stand back and let them learn. So as my oldest spends her birthday money on so many, many books and other nick knacks, I will be here thinking of how I will make her cake, and how I can manage to get more hugs in. Until next time:

She is beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines.

She is beautiful for the way she thinks.

She is beautiful for the sparkle in her eyes when she talks about something she loves. She is beautiful for her ability to make other people smile. Even when she is sad.

No, she isn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She is beautiful deep down in her soul.

F. Scott Fitzgerald