I'm making breakfast for a hungry group of sleepy eyed teens all slowly dragging themselves back into the land of the woke when I get the notification. Trying not to burn the eggs I wait to get to my phone trying to think of who's birthday I must be missing. But it's not a birthday that I'm being reminded of. FB Reminders along with my Iphone "On this Day" settings are such magically weird, forced walks down memory lane.
Finally hands wiped I slide open my phone to receive a collage of photos of my "Life 4 years ago". And well it looks quite different. You see yesterday was #NationalDaughtersDay and for 13 years I celebrated with fun photos of me and my daughter and then I would scroll through and "heart" everyone else's photos with their daughters as well.
But now I am the proud Mom of 2 Sons.
I am 4 years into this new journey and I am only slightly achy as I view these family photoshoots of what we used to be. I can still remember all of the painstaking hairdo's and all of the outfit considerations. I can remember the coaxing cajoling and downright bribery on occasion to get the best photo of the moment.
No matter what looking back at our kids as they grow is truly bitter sweet. Sighing at the babies that they were wondering where the time went. Seeing the carefree, dance freely littles making way for the furrowed brow and self-conscience way of the teen. It all feels a bit surreal as you try to take in all of the growth.
I deliver the food to the table and hear the garbled thank you's as they dig in. Afterwards my son catches me up in a bear hug burrowing his smiling face into the crook of my neck. "Mom you're the best". I hear so much in those 4 words and my heart widens that much more as the feeling of thankfulness expands.
Looking at those "used to be" photos I'm keenly aware of what has changed and what remains the same. Hair changed, clothes changed, name changed, body changed... twinkle in eyes the same.
The very same...
Awwww...#GratitudeOnAMillion
xx Dahn