Happy Mother's Day

Today I get to celebrate my first official Mother's Day. I tried to celebrate last year, but because Claira was not yet born, it wasn't quite the same. Today - it's official - and I get to enjoy it.

Claira woke up all smiles, after Greg & I got to spend a few minutes cuddling. Apparently, Claira forgot my Mother's Day card at Greg's mom house, but since it is HER first Mother's Day, too, it's okay. Greg gave me a new Bible and made a wonderful lunch. Yesterday, he took care of Claira for awhile so I could get a few things done around the house AND even enjoy a few minutes to myself. Claira is going to buy the windchime I requested, but she wants me to choose it, so we'll go shopping together for that. =) I got a beautiful red geranium at church this morning and it is potted on my front porch already.

Being a mother is really a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining - and I knew it would be a lot of work. I remember watching my mom and wondered why she couldn't take a few minutes to watch TV with the rest of us (besides Cosby Show every week), and now I understand. There are dishes to be done, meals to be cooked, laundry to be washed, folded and put away, diapers to be changed, bottles to be made, etc.

There are also those moments of incredible tenderness when Claira is so tired but only I can rock her to sleep, or when she smiles and grins only at me, when she says Mama (which is not very often, so it's special), when she grabs my face and "kisses" me enthusiastically, when she mimics something I am trying to teach her OR shows that she has figured out something herself. A mother's work really is never done, but it IS very rewarding...

My grandmother invested herself in my mom, and my mom invested herself in me. Now I get to stand in that line and do the same with my daughter. I still have a lot to learn about sacrifice and giving, but I will take it one day at a time, praying that what I learned from my own mom and grandmother mixed with what I am learning about myself, will be a blessing to Claira and will lead Claira to her own personal relationship with the Lord.