My Loves

I asked Madi to make a heart for me to take a picture of.  As my dearest husband so lovingly pointed out, it’s not perfect.  It’s a little awkward.  But then, in that very way, it is so Madison.

Not to worry….she knows this….it’s part of who she is…part of why I love her.  She has been, and will always be, a bit challenged in this area, but it’s something she embraces and runs with.  Love her for that.  She doesn’t put on airs or pretend to be someone she is not.  She likes comfy clothes over what is in style….likes her hair loose or in a pig tail, but none of that “styling” I so often attempt to do (with hair as beautiful as hers, it’s hard not to want to play with it)….isn’t interested in wearing make up…these are not her concerns.  She is, in this way, the old soul we have always known she is. She is comfy in her own skin…..awkward and all.

My son surprises me at times.  At 17 ½ he is working diligently to become independent, as he should.  I am convinced that there is some gene that turns on as we turn 17 that makes us NEED to get away from our parents and be on our own.  I know I was there at that age, and I see it in him now too.  It literally happened overnight it seemed, and while I am happy to see it, I am attempting to make the adjustment with him, which is not always easy. Or pleasant. Or comfortable. We are making it though, one day and one step at a time. 

He recently posted something on Facebook that made my heart ache in a wonderful way only a mother of a 17 year old young man’s possibly can.  It was a note titled, “My Greatest Inspirations, and Why they are So”. He is a deep kid….always has been.  I quickly went to check it out, anxious to see what his inspirations are, in case I had missed one along the way.  What I had not expected was that I would be the first person on the list, and that he would speak so very much from his heart as he wrote, “Mom: Thank you for helping me through all my life. Though I know we’ve had rough times, you are one of the few reasons I am who I am today. Love ya!”.

His dad was number two, although Chance made sure to let us know this was “in no particular order”, I still liked being #1…LOL.  And then, as big as my heart felt already as I read through the list, it simply burst when I read his last inspiration.  He wrote,”And finally, my biggest inspiration is…well…God.  He’s guided me through everything. He’s helped me when I am depressed, when I am sad, or something went wrong. He’s the reason I am here. The music I write, the subjects that I study, all the people in my life. He chose them, and brought them to me. Amen.”

Happy, happy sigh.

I hugged and kissed him (much to his chagrin). 

Abby asked for (okay, begged) for a wig for her birthday.  It was our compromise so that she didn’t continue asking if she could dye her hair black. My passionate, stubborn, creative child has given me the ability to (most of the time) think on my feet, evaluate what’s really important, and make compromises we all can (mostly) live with. I love that she embraces her uniqueness, and simply IS who she is.  I love that she follows her heart.

All three embrace their uniqueness in their own individual ways. 

But then, they do come by it naturally.

My first love swept me off my feet 25 years ago…….back when I was 17 and was ready to take on the world.  It was, in part, his uniqueness and comfort in his own skin that made me love him.  And while it makes me crazy at times, I would not want him any other way. How blessed am I that we could pass that on to our precious children!!!  And yes, they make me crazy with it sometimes too!!

My loves, indeed.