Tuesday, May 22, 2012

"I got the perfect Moms."

"Happy Mother's Day, Mama."

"Thank you, Skye." I answered, still wiping the sleep from my eyes. I stumbled into the kitchen to make coffee, feeling like there wasn't enough caffeine in Columbia to help me through the day. "But honey, it's not Mother's Day yet. It's only May 8th."

"I know, Mama. I'm going to celebrate Mother's Day everyday because I got the perfect moms and you got the perfect daughter."

I smiled, realizing that she was absolutely right. God was in the mix that morning, and His message rang through my fatigue and that fragmented feeling that I get when my mind is racing through all the tasks on my to-do list.
Sky reminds me that God is in the mix.

My list is longer these days, because I'm trying to launch an anti-bullying company, I was just promoted at work, and the school year is winding down, so I'm at school volunteering and preparing for year-end activities related to the Safety Team I am part of. It seems that God's been listening as I pray for Him to "use me up." That "be careful what you ask for" adage has started to feel all too ominous. But, in that moment with Skye, I was reminded to stop and enjoy the moment. I tend to rush ahead about five hours, or five days, or five months from any given moment, keeping track of my commitments like I track a project's progress on a Gantt chart at work.

That moment with Skye is a clear message that having two moms is not a detriment to her upbringing, but a perfect gift from God that keeps on giving. She and Hunter are precious blessings who demonstrate to me everyday what it means to be authentic and honest and open to all the love the world has to offer. Messages like the one she shared that morning wash away all the emotional debris left behind after arguments over what outfit she's going to wear, whether or not she's going to shower before or after she does homework, and what's for dinner. It washes away all the doubts about whether I'm doing enough to help her grow up happy and healthy. It showed me that even when I feel like I've moved away from the purposeful approach to parenting I strive for, God is still there, helping me juggle the different hats I have to wear every day.

So, as life races by and the pace I keep threatens my well-being, I'll stop long enough to remember how her words felt like God's embrace. I'll lean into that embrace and trust that Skye is right; she's got the perfect Moms and we have the perfect daughter.