Dandelion Love

May 9, 2008

This afternoon I listened as Laurent hammered a Mother's Day card/gift for me. "Thunk, thunk" followed by running downstairs (he was working in his room upstairs above the kitchen) and "I gotta go outside for something". Back indoors and upstairs. More banging, more trips outdoors.

I know flowers were involved because he asked if he could pick some blooms. At one point he came into the kitchen looking for beets but settled for a carrot.

This is going to be quite the card.

Earlier in the day the kids picked all the dandelions from the backyard for a bouquet for me. If you let yourself forget they are lawn weeds and treat them as beautiful blooms you can really enjoy them. Even if they do only last one day. But for that one day they are very pretty.

All this attention from my kids today reminded me how much I am loved and adored by them. And how easily I forget. This sounds terrible but as a homeschooling mom I really am the center of their universe - yikes! And in spite of everything I am and am not they love me and are so eager to please me and show affection. It truly humbles me to think about how much love has been dumped (often literally) into my lap and how I sometimes fail to see it and appreciate it.

I'm training myself to accept it and reciprocate, even when I'm tired or frazzled and being loving isn't an easy response. And even when I fail those kiddos still keep coming back and loving on me.

Wow, that's a great mother's day gift, all year round.