Lovely Lily

Oh, the sweetness and oh the dear loveliness of being with my precious daughter...

We did a bit of Christmas today together. It was a delight...

Truly.

I have another blog where I put most of the post about my children these days. I keep it private because, of , well...people.

However, today's light was so bright I thought it wrong not to share and rejoice.

As a child, I longed for the very things she and I did today. I wanted exactly what she and I shared this very day, everyday I can remember in my parents household, and step parents households.

It just never happened.

Until today, and while it has been sweet and wonder-filled to exchange holiday-ness with my two boys over the years, something was different about today.

Its just that she is a GIRL.

That's all it took.

We went for a little jog together this morning. She put on her little 'workout' jacket and sneakers. We buzzed around a few neighborhoods. Then we came home freezing and squealed and warmed up and sighed with glee at the comforts of a warm home on a cold winter's day.

We went to do a bit of shopping for her. She chose presents for each member of our family. She was thoughtful, and considerate and deliberate in her choices and did the 'happy dance' that all 'true givers' do. We had so much fun talking every choice over and making this succinct memory together.

Lately, she has begun to 'blossom' in her interests in the world. She has decided to be a 'scientist'. She is fascinated with our natural world. She has asked me to teach her how to crochet, and we have a brilliant time sitting together and visiting and creating. She is constantly decorating everything to make it more beautiful somehow. ( and while this means there is a tiny nutcracker at my door right now, that does not match a thing,) it makes me smile and wonder at her gifts.

She already is a nurturer. The way she handles our pets is lovely and respectful and thought-filled and sweet. I simply adore listening to her 'tweet tweet' talk with her bird, and she can get Sam the dog to function in ways others can not, simply by gently encouraging him to do so.

Ah, how lovely and how sweet and how lively is my existence because of the tiny estrogen bearer in my nest. What a beautiful blessing. I am so privileged to be her mother and I am so grateful for these exact type of 'gift wrapping' together days to come true with the astounding clarity and bounty they come in.

Forgive me for just plain 'celebrating' my daughter.

MY DAUGHTER

I still love to see that in print and say it out loud. I'm the luckiest mom in the world.