Another one...

Last night Noelle told me that she had been reading this blog - and today I went back an re-read it, too. It made me realize how much I enjoyed writing it...and how cool it is to go back and remember little snippets of time. I had forgotten many of the incidents that I had written about. Now I'm mad that I skipped so many years! Rather than try to catch up, I think I'll just jump in. Akaela is getting ready for graduation - in less than three weeks! This is my sixth child, so it's not like I haven't been to this rodeo, but each one breaks my heart a little. This weekend I put together her picture boards - I'm not a scrapbooker - I think they are incredible, but I've never found the time to do that - so I just make copies of pictures through the years and glue them to a posterboard. Not fancy, but the goal is to share some of our lives with friends that will gather to celebrate her accomplishment - and so it does the job. I know that I am far from alone, but the overwhelming sentiment that keeps running through my head is "Where did the time go?" She was just a little girl! If I'm not careful, I will go down the weepy road, not for the first time - hello she is number six! You'd think I'd have gotten used to it by now, but I've grieved for each and every oneof my babies that has grown up and left my round-the-clock watchful eye...much as I did the first day I dropped them off at daycare. In the beginning, those babies were all a part of me, and no matter that they are (al)most all taller than me, no matter how many decades old they are, each step toward independance is a step away from me. Of course, that's the goal! :-) but it doesn't mean it doesn't ache. Because the truth of the matter is that, of all the hats I've ever worn, or will, the one that fits the best, that I love the most, is the mommy hat. That being said, fear not, you first timers! I'm blessed to have a great relationship with my grown kids(some more than others) and the relationship isn't over, it's just changing. It's still a blessing, and sometimes it gets a lot better once those teenage hormones (or stabs at independance from YOU) recede. You change, eventually, to more of a friend than a director...so it's okay. At least, that's what I keep telling myself... Blessings, all! Lisa