Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Being a Mom

Today is the last day of school. Yesterday my daughter brought home all her stuff - her reading log, the nametag from her desk, and lots of artwork. She also had a few Weekly Reader's (remember those?) that she wanted to read to me.

And as we sat at the dining room table and she read, I almost started to cry. My baby is seven years old. She'll be a second grader next year. Where did the time go? Of course, I wouldn't want it any other way - I look forward to the coming years to see how she grows and develops into a young woman. But it's happening so fast. I wish I could rewind for just a day and cuddle my little baby again those first few days after birth, or watch her as she takes her first steps, or listen to her baby giggles.

It's a joy to be a mother, but it's also a bit painful. Well, not a bit, but a whole darn lot. I get upset when someone hurts her; I can't stand to see her fall down; I cringe when I watch her be a daredevil on the monkey bars. But the joys far outweigh the rough times of motherhood. I can't even tell you how many pictures I've taken of her while she sleeps because it's just so darn precious, or how often I've secretly laughed to myself when she's told me one of her Molly'isms (one of my favorite: On a cloudy day, she was upset because she didn't think the sun could breathe!), or how I treasure all of the artwork she's given me. I feel truly blessed to have her in my life. :-)

World War II Reminder...

I looked at my calendar today and realized that it is the 63rd anniversary of the D-Day Invasion at Normandy. It's on my list of places to visit someday.

I can't imagine what it must have been like. Hollywood has tried, and there's a few movies that you can watch to get a feel for that day.

8 comments:

  1. I know what you're saying about motherhood, Melissa. So many beloved memories come to mind when I think of my daughter in all her stages. But I worry, too. I just daily put her in the hands of God and ask for her protection.

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  2. We have a few more weeks of school and my little one starts kindy in the fall. It is a wonderful and scary time watching them grow. I want them at school and I want them happy.

    The artwork I can live without ;) Except those really great pictures they sometimes come up with--but all the cardboard glued together? Yeeks.

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  3. Anonymous6:17 PM

    Molly is my mother's name :)

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  4. Oh, I think I'm going to leave this one alone.

    Instead, I'll focus on the D-Day movies. As gory as it was, I think the opening of Saving Private Ryan was amazing and incredible. It truly brought home what a difficult invasion it was. And of course Band of Brothers was great too.

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  5. I think you need to be there to properly understand the size and scale of such an event, and you can feel the ghosts. Try and get a trip to Europe if you can, you could do the graveyards and other battle sites too.

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  6. I remember when little Molly was just starting to motor around. What a blessing you have there.

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  7. It's funny, we just had my niece's second birthday on Monday and I was looking at the 4 nieces and nephews - 3 of which are 2 and under and the madness of a houseful of kids and thinking, 'wow there's 4 of them now. It feels like just yesterday the first one arrived...' I don't have kids of my own, but seeing them grow it does make you realize how fast time flies.

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  8. Aw, they grow up so fast. We are on their butts to eat by themselves, walk, run, talk and want them to experience independance. But then they never return. I long for the days when my kids are small. Wait til she's a teenager...I will cry with you when that boy comes to call on her with a car! Oh and buy lots of hair dye, those grey hairs will start coming alot quicker then...lol

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