A 10 for Patience and Love

Today I am overwhelming glad to mother this child.

I had a phone conversation (one of several weekly) with my dearest most favorite-one and only sister-in law, Bekah, where we discussed the personalities of each of our children. By the end, I think Lena came out on top at a glorious 9.5 for technical difficulty.

After we hung up, I couldn't help but think about my role as a mother and how I can better serve Lena as she learns to navigate through the tough years of the preschool -age woes. Bless her feisty little heart.

It's not that she is rotten to the core, or that she makes life a ball of misery. She just has a lot of unbridled energy and spirit that often times presents itself as a constant challenge.

she keeps me on my toes.

She makes the biggest messes known to man.

She beats up Simon like it's her day-job (because it is)

...but she also, without fail, lights up my heart like Christmas morning in a way I'm not sure any other child possibly could or ever will.

So for today, and one day at a time from here on out, I will take on -head on, mind you- the daunting task of patience and love.

Patience for the little girl that knows how to take me right to the edge.

Love for the little girl that made me a mother.

Here's to less time spent cleaning, less time hurrying about, and more time molding and shaping that precious gift given specifically to me. I can already feel our time slipping away.