One year later he smeared himself in birthday cake.
It was crazy and messy and…. it was glorious.
I love to ask parents how they remember the first year.
Most of the say it was a big blur. So much change in so little time.
But later on, I know they will remember the color of his favorite sippy cup. The way he was clung to his giant dog and played with his tail. The way he teetered between them when he started walking. The way his cheeks got rosy when he wasn’t feeling well or how cute those two little teeth were sticking out on the bottom.
I also love to see how they themselves change. How they soften. How they just move into this season of their life, and how they adjust.
I love to get to see it. Even behind the camera.
She said, I still cry. Like a lot.
And I went on to tell her about how I spent a Friday night sobbing with my 12 year old tucked under my arm about the world he has to live in. And math. I get it.
I just happen to read this little snippet today…..and well, it’s pretty fitting. Whether you are a believer or not, the words are true.
………….
“Why are you crying?” he asked his mom.
“Because I’m a Mother,” she told him.
“I don’t understand,” he said.
His mom just hugged him and said, “You never will..”
Later the little boy asked his Father why Mother seemed to cry for no reason.
“All Mothers cry for no reason,” was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why Mothers cry. So he finally put in a call to God and when God got on the phone the man said, “God, why do Mothers cry so easily.”
God said, “You see son, when I made Mothers, they had to be special. I made their shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave them an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times come from their children.
“I gave them a hardiness that allows them to keep going when everyone else gives up, and to take care of their families through sickness and fatigue without complaining.
I gave them the sensitivity to love their children under all circumstances, even when their child has hurt them very badly.
This same sensitivity helps them to make a child’s boo-boo feel better and helps them share a teenager’s anxieties and fears.
“I gave them a tear to shed. It’s theirs exclusively to use whenever it’s needed.
It’s their only weakness.
It’s a tear for mankind.”
~unknown
And if you’re mom and you cried when you read this.. TOTALLY normal.
Happy One Year Little One. To your parents, thank you for letting me just a little tiny part of it.
