Memories

This past week, my one and only child turned 17! Yes, 17. While I am very proud of her, my heart was a wee bit sad. She is a junior in high school; which means NEXT year, she will be a senior!! And just all grown up. Where has the time gone? Every year, around her birthday, I pulled out all the baby albums, and albums from her childhood. This year was no different. As I looked at her baby pictures, I was trying to recall what it actually felt like to hold her in my arms, what she smelled like after a bath, and the sound of her first laugh. As I moved on to the toddler years, you know what I remembered? The good times, not the tantrums, or the dirty house, or how funds were tight. No, I remembered her running through the house laughing. I remember her sitting in her booster seat at the table asking , "no supper tonight mommy?"(I had been cleaning all afternoon, and did not realize that the supper hour had come and gone) I remember her sitting in her room talking to dolls and telling them to be good little girls and take a nap.

As I moved through the albums, more and more memories flooded my mind. Towards the end, I began to realize that while we may not have had all the luxuries in life, and while she may not have had a father in her life, she had a pretty good child hood, and she has turned out to be a pretty good girl. Oh, we have had some rocky moments during these teen years, but overall, she is a great girl. And I am proud to call her mine.