Mother's Day Weekend

My best girl.

Mother's Day weekend officially commenced when I received the handmade gift from my girl that she made at school: her hand print in plaster ... painted in rainbow colors! In her almost 8-years, that is my first hand-print-in-the-plaster gift, so needless to say, I was beside myself.

This year, as we honored all mothers, I was in continuous thought over my own. This was her first Mother's Day without my brother. So as a sibling, daughter and fellow mother, I was taken aback by the overwhelming emotions of it all. The wonderful news was that my little nephew ended up being with Grandma this weekend - so she got to wake up to his precious face (which is the spitting image of my brother's at that age). In the balance of life, we held both feelings in our hands: sadness & joy.

And this year, it reminded me that there are certain things in this world that are infinitely true: I will always be Lyla's mom, I will always be Annette's daughter, and I will always be Adam's sister. It's somewhat amazing how much of life can and will change, but those three things are for always.

Let's just say I gave my girl even more kisses than normal, held her even longer, trying to soak up all of yesterday's sweet nuances. Each night as I tuck her in I whisper, "I couldn't ask for a better girl."

And last night, the greatest gift I received on Mother's Day, "And I couldn't ask for a better mom."

xx JN