Hello Spring: Simple Lessons From a 7-Year Old

My 7-year old daughter has a habit of marking off her calendar every morning. Her calendar is one of her most prized possessions in her room, and this year's calendar contains pictures of dogs & puppies in various shapes and sizes.

As I lazily drag my weak and tired body out of my bed into her room, this simple morning routine of my young daughter teaches me one of life's greatest lessons- that EVERYDAY IS A BLESSING and I should begin every morning with such zeal.

Today as always, she grabs a pen by her desk, runs to her calendar and marks off her day with a big X. Then she shrieks, "MOM, GUESS WHAT??? Today is the first day of SPRING!!!"

Nowadays my daughter is the one who reminds me when St. Patrick's Day is and when Spring begins.
She is the one to remind me what leprechauns are; that they are tiny, mischievous little beings who leave behind gold chocolate coins.

She believes in unicorns, magic and pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

She reminds me what jinx is and that I need someone to say my name not one but three times to speak again. When I tell her "Adults don't play jinx," she looks at me with confused puppy eyes and genuinely asks why. Her curiosity and wonder makes me ashamed of my loss of innocence.

She reminds me daily that perhaps God's greatest gifts to mankind is children's innocence and the joy it brings to their parents.

She makes me rollerblade at a park, fall on my ass, and laugh out loud at myself. While watching TV she tells me there is this great product for my pimples at only $19.99. She tells me she wishes she never gets spots on her face when she grows up.

I love the simplicity of her thought process, her unfiltered honesty and how she still believes in promises, even the false claims made by advertisements.

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING.

Today will never come back. Today will one day be a distant memory. Today is the youngest I will ever be. The clock is ticking and I will one day be an old lady.

Today I realize why we have children. We all age, lose volume and gain wrinkles. And during this natural course of life called aging, our children are here to teach and re-teach us lessons in life that we must encounter to fully grow as adults.

A real woman must continue to grow until her death, and without children, that learning process can come to a halt like a broken machine.

Thank God for children and their fervor for life. Thank God for their innocence and honesty. Thank God for their beauty both inside and out. Thank God for their sweet smiles and belly laughters.

If I had a chance to go back in time and do it all over again- the weight gain, postpartum depression, crazy woman hormones and all----- I would. And coming from me who never regarded herself as a natural born mother, that means a lot.

Fishing at Big Bear Lake, Last weekend of Winter