Remember…

There was a time, it seems like yesterday, that I was a small girl with big dreams.
I wanted nothing more than to be a wife, a mother, a homemaker.
“Don’t aim too high” was often said to me sarcastically.

The truth is, to do those things I was striving for well was hard work.
To be a wife that took pride in meeting the needs of her spouse and making his day
better or easier was hard work.

To be the mother who met the needs of her children. To be the mom that set hard
rules and made sure they were followed. To allow my children to grow and learn
in a safe environment where it was ok to fail if you “did your best” and “made
good choices”.

To be the homemaker whose home was always ready for friends and family to
visit. Where a meal for six could easily be expanded when friends were invited to
join us after playing all day.

To do the everyday tasks and find joy in them has been a blessed life for me.
My children are grown and most nights there are only two at the table. The house
is quiet. Keeping it clean these days is much easier. There is less laundry. There
is more “me” time.

I miss the noise, the laundry, the requests for help, the feeling of being “needed”.
I was true to my dream and in doing so I am rewarded with a man who is not “just
my husband” but a “true friend”. I am humbled by my children having made their
way into the world to start their own adult lives. I am gifted the joy of daughter in
laws and son in laws and grandchildren. I have grand turtles and lizards and
rabbits and dogs as well.

I hope my family always remembers that I am here for them. To cheer for them or
help them stand back up. Just as I always was. Just as my parents were for me.