When I was a little girl I wanted to be a mother. I wanted a whole houseful of children. For whatever reason, that never happened for me. I’ve never experienced a pregnancy, childbirth, or the joy of holding my own child in my arms. Fortunately what I have had is a life time of children in my life.
I have one sister that has four children and she has shared them with me. When her oldest three were very young, I would take a week of my vacation and drive to Austin, pick them up, and they would stay a week with me. I have loads of cousins and friends who shared their children with me. Doug has a daughter that was nine when I met him. She has also been a big part of my life and I look upon her as my own daughter..
Now I have cousins that have grandchildren and they are sharing those sweet ones with me as well. Mainly my cousin Pam, she has four beautiful grandchildren that couldn’t be more sweet or more loving. Two sets of twins. One set just turned 11 and the younger set is 5. This year I begin sending them cards for special occasions. I remember being small and receiving a piece of mail with my name on it. It was very exciting opening it up and finding a little something inside.
If you just take the time to sit down and listen to a child, I think you’ll realize that maybe the world isn’t a bad place after all. What is better than a squeal or a belly laugh from a child who is just a few months old? What is better than a smile and the look of adoration from a child. There is nothing better in the world than a hug from a child. I don’t think there is anything you can do for a child that they don’t appreciate. Now I’m not talking about teenagers. That’s a whole other blog, that isn’t filled with sweetness, but it does have a happy ending.
Remember the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten? These are the basic truths in life. If you forget what they are, I suggest you sit down and have a chat with a child. Give them something to drink or snack on while you do. They will think you are marvelous and it will shine in their eyes.
