I Love Her

My daughter Meghann was born on Mother's Day almost 24 years ago. And I remember that day like it was yesterday, too ... all the details of the labor room, the faces of the nurses who took care of me, the lights in the delivery room. But what I remember most of all about that day was when the doctor said, "It's a girl! A beautiful, healthy baby girl!" Those of you who are moms understand how much one of those words means ... healthy. All of us who are parents long to hear that word about our children ... when they are born, as they grow, when they are living on their own. And I am blessed to have three beautiful, healthy children who are simply amazing young adults. I've told each of them many times over the last few months that for all the things I messed up or did wrong in my life, the three of them are the three good, the three right, the three beautiful parts of my life that I got right. I'm convinced beyond measure that Matt, Brad and Meghann are the reason I was born ... they are the ones who will do great things in their lives, things that will change the lives of other people for the better.

I spent most of the day today with my daughter, well, after coffee this morning with a friend and my visit with the life-saving head doctor. Meg took me to lunch at an Italian restaurant (yummy), and then we went across the street for me to have some sugar-free frozen yogurt (again, yummy). And ... then ... we ... went ... shopping ... for ... clothes. Yep, I spent a good part of the day today shopping for clothes with my daughter. Shopping isn't quite so terrible, though, when 1) it's Meghann's clothes we are shopping for rather than my own, and 2) I get to spend time with my only daughter. See, that's the thing ... as much as I don't like to shop, I love her ... I truly love Meghann. And there's really nothing I wouldn't do for her because I love her so very much ... even shop for clothes, and girly clothes at that.

There's always something I notice when I come home after spending time with my children, or when they leave after they've come to visit. My house is very quiet ... very, very, very quiet. Most of the time that doesn't bother me, the quiet house, but sometimes that quiet, that silence, causes a feeling of loneliness to wash through my soul and permeate my mind. Perhaps because it's a rainy, chilly night, but this evening when I walked through the door into the kitchen, my house felt so very alone, so very empty, so very quiet. Some of my favorite times when all my kiddos lived at home were rainy nights ... rainy nights when we would sit around the kitchen table and talk or play games until way past bedtime.

As Meghann and I were driving back for her to pick up her car where she had parked it when we met for lunch, I said something to Meghann ... something I hope my daughter always remembers ... something I hope she tells her own son or daughter one day. We were talking about some life stuff, and I said, "What more could a mother ever want than for her children to be happy? Nothing compares to that ... to knowing that my kids are happy." And all three of my children are happy, healthy, kind, caring, loving, accepting, compassionate and intelligent young adults ... nothing compares to knowing that, friends ... nothing can ever compare to knowing that.

Thanks for a wonderful day, Megs ... for spending time with me ... for loving me in spite of all my flaws. Thanks for being you, baby girl ... amazing, beautiful, awesome you.