There is never enough time.
Not enough minutes or hours.
(And like she warned)--It all happens so quickly and in no time a little girl has now become a woman, wife and mother to her own.
Hindsight is always 20/20 they say. And while my mom told me to savor each stage and moment---I didn't fully grasp these words until I witnessed, sang another happy birthday and saw the tremendous growth a small child can achieve.
She was right---99% of the time she has always been right.
Her foresight is impeccable.
Her knowledge is a force that I could never grasp until now.
She is the reason I strive to be better, have patience and forgive more.
But with time comes change, challenge and decline.
Time does that to all of us. There is no sense of stopping it or controlling it.
I sit here knowing that I (and Jamie) are truly grateful for the hundreds of books she has read to our boys. We acknowledge the way she loves them fearlessly and with greater worry than she ever did with me. And we are forever grateful for her help and dedication--no matter the distance.
My mom is one of a kind. (You can and should say the same thing about yours).
I have never met a woman more self-less, intelligent, generous and forgiving as her.
She has been a pillar of strength for me; even when her world was turned upside down, she never once went astray or left me feeling abandoned. She has been the greatest representation of what every dedicated mother should be--to place one's self interest aside to care, nurture and protect their child.
It isn't in the flower bouquets or piece of jewelry--it's time.
It's those minutes and hours as a little girl I would love to "relive" with her.
It's the conversations we haven't had that I look forward to sharing.
It's the moments I see her laughing and holding James and Henry that give my heart joy.
And her gift?
The gift of an hour, a day or a week with her own mother. All they would need is a full pot of coffee, a comfortable couch and their sweet voices. She deserves that more than anything.
Thank you mom for being my greatest example.
And no matter how much time we have together--always know how grateful I am for your wisdom and unconditional love.
