Yeah Moms!

You know Moms and Dads really rock! Since this weekend is Mother's Day let's focus on the Mom part of that equation. I think that being a good parent is one of the hardest jobs around. You don't want to be mean and you want to be fair, but darn it sometimes that just doesn't work. We love our kids so much and you want to protect them especially when you are not with them, but in order for them to mature into useful, caring individuals we have to let them out into the very world we want to protect them from. It's like that Army slogan~"The toughest job you'll ever love". Even women who don't have kids (through choice or nature), are caring to other people's children. Before we had Mina, my "daughter" was my niece Caitlyn. I loved her so much that it hurt to leave her, and we would both end up crying. She filled the void in my heart where the child I hadn't had yet (but wanted desperately)would eventually fill. I still love her so much it hurts, and miss her that much too. We see each other seldom and don't talk as often as we should. She is a freshman now and 15, which is a very busy age. She has a life of her own now, and I am designated as a sideline sitter. Mina is growing up fast too, almost 10 (in July) and will be a fifth grader in 8 days when this school year winds up. Before long I will be a sideline sitter in her world too. Man this is getting DEPRESSING!! On the plus side, I have been going to therapy and working on me as a person, so I will hopefully not be pathetic when that sideline invitation arrives! I told my husband last night that I have more friends now than I did when I was in school, which is a wonderful thing! As for my Mom, it is hard to see her and have memories of when I was growing up. My Mom has Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disease that affects fine motor skills, balance, muscles, etc. and at time she has had pretty debilitating depression. I unfortunately have inherited the chemical imbalance for the depression and have been treating mine with medicine and therapy for about 10 years now. Mom has difficulty moving around and has several other medical conditions that limit her mobility and cause her a great deal of pain. I purchased one of Carla's beautiful bronze sun catchers and added a longer dangle at the bottom and a large heart crystal. I will post the picture of it this afternoon. This is my gift to my Mom for Mother's Day (besides probably dinner) since she gave me my heart to begin with and taught me how to use it. Have a Great Mom's Day ladies!