So, after a week of flowing tears, my baby daughter walks in tonight and hands me my Valentine's present. She said that she wrote this essay as an assignment at school a few weeks ago, and she wanted to give it to me on Valentine's Day.
Wow. Thanks, Hadrian, for keeping the tears flowing this week! ; ) Hadrian's essay so touched my heart that I have to share. I have to be the most blessed person on the planet . . . hopefully soon I will move on from my own grief and start acting like it!!
The Essay:
Number One Mom Award by Hadrian
Appreciation means to be grateful or thankful for, to value or regard highly, and to be fully conscious of. I feel all of these things, but I do not always show it. My mom is an amazing and beautiful person. She takes care of me, protects me, fights for me, always supports me, and never judges me. Frederick Keonig once said, "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." I sometimes find myself unhappy, but then I have to realize I have great people in my life to appreciate and they make me happy. My mom makes me happy.
My mom is my role model and my best friend. Of course, she has her flaws, but who doesn't? I do not like that she will let herself get upset over a man, or when she puts embarrassing pictures of me on Facebook, but that does not bother me because she does too many things right. I respect her in many ways and I appreciate the small things even though she may not always receive a "thank you." She wakes up in the middle of the night just to do the laundry that I forgot to ask her to do - and I will need to wear the clothes to school the next day. She may complain, but she always seems to get it done somehow. She is SUPER MOM. I wake up in the morning expecting not to find any clothes to wear because I would have never thought she would wake up (considering how much she loves sleep), but the clothes will be folded neatly on the couch waiting for me to put them on. I appreciate that even though I probably would not have told her. She deserves a "thank you" for everything she does for me, but I do not always give her one. Possibly because I assume she knows. I sometimes take her kindness for granted.
When I am upset, she worries more than I do. Taking care of me makes her happy. I can see it every time she has a smile on her face. Even when I do something wrong, which is more times than not, I know she will always be there for me through thick and thin, I will always have a shoulder to cry on, and I hope she knows she will always have mine. I appreciate her in every way, shape, and form. I would give her the whole world if it was possible. The last time I truly prayed, harder than I have ever prayed before, it was about my mom. I prayed that she will truly find happiness in herself, because sometimes she only sees her own flaws. I want my appreciation to show her the good things in herself, and how grateful the ones around her truly are.
She is the best mom anyone could ask for, and I am inspired to be a mother just like her. She sits up all night just to talk to me because I can't sleep. She drove me to and attended every single soccer game, and she knows exactly what food to buy me specialized to my taste buds. I notice these things, but a "thank you" never comes out of my mouth because it has just become a routine. I love that we can yell at each other at the top of our lungs, and then be best friends less than twenty minutes later. It proves our love and connection to each other. Mom is a beautiful person, and she deserves the Number One Mom Award.
WOW. I am totally speechless. Seriously?? I need another box of tissues . . . ; )
Thank you, Hadrian. How did you know that I have been questioning my worth all day? When I wonder about my reason for living, I have to look no further than my children. Thank you, God, for these wonderful blessings who give me a reason to hang on even when I don't feel like it. I needed to be reminded of my purpose today . . . my three beautiful Valentine's.
