We have decided that we are blessed to have two girls that can be sisters together, and even more blessed that they will have a lot of great girlfriends in their lives. What an opportunity for them to share a bond with so many lovely little girls! And speaking of little bonds, today we got to see a beautiful example of what true friendship is. We took our daughters and niece Isis out to eat this afternoon for a special treat. Since they were so good, they each got a balloon of their choosing.
But as we were getting out of the car to go into the house, silly mom let Gracie's balloon go! As it was drifting up into the sky, I thought of ways to distract Gracie so she would not notice her missing balloon. Right. She saw her red balloon floating through the clouds, and the lower lip began to tremble. Isis, standing there with her balloon secure in her hand, went to comment on Gracie's loss. I quickly tried to change the subject and keep Gracie from being sad. Isis caught on immediately. She let her balloon go too, and shouted, "Oh no Gracie! Now mine is gone, tooooo!" It worked. What a true act of love and friendship. She gave hers up, just to save Gracie from tears. And as you know, giving her balloon up was a true sacrifice for a young girl of 5. I told Isis how proud I was of her. And how grateful I was for her act of kindness. Isn't it funny how much we can learn from little kids? How many of us would give up our "gifts" for our friends? Loved ones? Anyone? This morning I was listening to a pastor speak on our problem with possessions. He was saying that what we won't give up, what we cannot part with, that is what controls us. How true. If only we were all like Isis, freely giving up what we want, just to make others happy. I find the more I own, the less "freedom" I feel. This little lesson today has inspired me to go de-clutter. In fact, I think I will start right now...
What can you do without? What do you need to give up?
As I see them growing older everyday, I find myself thanking God for the blessings that they are, and usually I sneek in a little prayer asking that he slow down the growth process a little. We have told our friends that are yet to be parents to "Enjoy every moment, it goes so fast!", and this week has made me realize that this statement could not be more true. Part of me is sad at the sight of Gracie turning into Miss Independent, but the other part of me is so proud of her. I love the little girl she is becoming, and I am so overjoyed to have her as my daughter. I am thankful to her as well, for she has made me realize how important it is to slow down and enjoy the moment when it comes to Stella. I see her starting to sit up and begin moving herself around, and I truly have to hold myself back from pinning her to the ground and refusing to let her move! If I can pass off a bit of advice today, it would be to SLOW DOWN. Love them, enjoy them, and remember that when you wake up tomorrow, they will be a little different, and a little older, and the magic of yesterday is gone. Lucky for us, there is more magic ahead with the coming years and attractions! But I will always miss the way Gracie was, even just one year ago.