Love

Mother's Day is approaching (37 minutes to go) and I thought a brief post on being a Mother might be considered appropriate!

Bentley has been in a "what is this" phase lately and so I hear some variation of that question at least 5 times a day. I know that's probably nothing compared to the endless questions my life will be filled with when my children are a bit older and ALL talking - but nonetheless it's a big change from the old status quo where I did all the talking and none of them talked back! It's nice to have interaction.

Every evening (and morning, and afternoon sometimes!) I tell my children I love them. Last night Bentley and I were cuddled up downstairs in bed reading and I threw out my ritual "Love you Bentley"! I keep hoping to hear the words back but so far his vocabulary hasn't expanded to include that key phrase - soon, I hope! Although I didn't get a "I love you" back from him, I did get a "what"?

It then occured to me that perhaps the word love doesn't mean much to him, and that sent me down a 10 minute path trying to explain the concept of love to my 2 year old. I'm sure more than 10 minutes is needed for such a big idea but it was a start. To me, my love for my children includes:

They are my world and my heart belongs to them
I want them to have joy
I will always be there to listen and care about their desires & fears
I find joy in their accomplishments
They are always on my mind
I will do whatever is needed to protect and nurture them
When they're happy I'm happy too
Raising them is not a chore but a privilege
I want to be with them for all of eternity
Their needs are more important to me than my own
I wish that the world could be perfect for them, that I could protect them from hurt and dissapointment
None of their thoughts are too small to matter to me
I love every hair on their perfect precious heads :-)

I wish it was possible to put into words exactly how love makes us feel, but if it is I'm not the poetic wordsmith who will be able to do it! I'm certain I've forgotten at least a few key points...

I love my family and I love the purpose and meaning that Bentley, Jackson, and Genevieve have added to my life. Raising them is a wonderful calling to be occupied with. They are a great blessing in my life (although a bit of a challenge at times too!) and I know it would be impossible to love them more than I do - my heart is already overflowing from all of the goodness (for lack of a better word) that they have brought to our home.

Happy Mother's Day, kids! I'm so glad to have you here in our family and I know it's where you are meant to be. I can't imagine anything better than being your Mother. Thanks for being here!