Treasured in My Heart

Today is day 30 of a 31 day blogging challenge with my friend and colleague reverendmommy, Robin Fitzgerald.We will be using a daily word prompt from katemotaung.com. 

One day when my children graduate from school or welcome a child into the world and I want to share with them about all their firsts, I will not have a baby book to give them.  Call me a terrible parent, but that is one thing I cannot maintain.  I have pictures, but they aren’t in albums or a neat creative memory book filled with first words, first steps, first teeth, or first hair cuts.  Ella and Mattie have a Rubbermaid box with sticky notes that probably have dates written on them, but no identification.  Kate has nothing. 

 

            For someone who likes to think of myself as super woman, this is hard for me to admit that I don’t, I can’t, and I won’t have baby books or scrapbooks for my kids.  It’s not that I don’t think it’s important.  It’s not that I didn’t have good intentions.  I just had to let something go and well, that was it.  It’s hard for someone who tries to do everything.  I can tell the girls stories of their firsts.  Ms. Joy and Ms. Shelia who gave Ella and Mattie their first hair cut at Aldersgate preschool.  Kate who stood solidly for months until she finally got-up the courage to take her first step and she hasn’t stopped since.  I remember the night Ella looked at the moon and said, “ball.”  I remember Mattie singing “e-i-e-i-e-I” all the way through security at the Aruba airport and wanting someone to acknowledge her and sing “Old Mac Donald.”  I remember Kate persistently holding my face and saying “row, row,” expecting me to understand that meant sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” 

            I may not have a written record of all the firsts, but they are treasured stories held in my mind and heart.  The memories make me smile, they make me laugh, and yes, they occasionally bring a tear.  My girls are growing so fast and there are so many memories yet to be made---so many more firsts yet to come.  I “treasure all these things and ponder them in my heart” (Luke 2:19).  I hope someday my girls will listen to the stories of their firsts.  I hope that my example of a full time working mom who tries to support and be involved in her children’s life at every possible opportunity will overshadow the fact that scrapbooks or baby books don’t document their firsts.  I hope my treasure will become their treasure.    

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*For anyone who wonders, Kaki keeps my children well cared for with photos.  As I am posting this she hands me a book for each of them of fall pictures.  Deep sigh!  I can't even begin to keep-up.