Puddles from the day

Posted from the archives

The street was lined with the puddles from the day. My mind taking in the beauty of umbrellas and the girls under their temporary covering. I'm not sure how to explain what I want to say. How much I enjoy their company and their sweetness. Being with my children makes everything better and rain won't stop this, it just adds to the back drop of us being together. We shopped and made memories and laughed and bought and then broke bread together.

We sampled and we held hands. We captured the magic of that rainy day together. Taylor whispering in my ear how very much she loves me and Channie's reminders of her thinking this was the best day ever (In case you've missed it Channie Mae thinks everyday is the best day ever). I can't help but to capture the whole afternoon with my camera lens. Seeing each day as the gift that it was meant to be. I capture moments and when the pictures are downloaded it takes me back and it makes the girls act all silly and say 'oh we had so much fun mom'. It keeps our memories alive and breathing. We all tend to get caught up and forget what we did yesterday. I don't want to forget. God's goodness and his mercy that He, the creator, allows me to breathe, much less parent, some of His finest creations.  

Willing into her memories the life lessons that I teach. Being there and sharing in her joy as she tastes a new kind of honey for the first time. Being there as the sheer excitement of walking in the rain overwhelms her. It captures her love of wet streets and the wind that threatens to take her umbrella away.  I'm able to capture her smile, her innocence of such things that seem to take her by surprise. It's just rain right? It's so much more to Channie Mae. It's all new. I look at our shopping adventure through her eyes. Every breeze or wet drop made her squeal with delight. Every puddle something to jump over. Every scent something to linger over. This little girl teaches me so much about life and loving. When I hear "Love like a child loves" (or something like that) I think of Channie. Her love is simple.....It's BIG......I  want to love like Channie

I'm able to capture with my lens one of my early Christmas presents. That little wicker basket is one of the gifts she bought me and gave it to me early. It now holds the books that I read to the little ones. I have it by my chair and the reminder of where it came from brings a smile on my face. Her love, her spirit, is so contagious. My friend, my daughter...the one who keeps me humble and the one who stands next to me in the trenches everyday. The one who lives simply. Who loves huge. The girl whom I've grown up with so to speak. The Lord has used her in my life in a mighty way. I know when I'm older, much older, I will stand by her. Lord willing, I will  be the friend that she needs as she starts her family. Don't think I don't know that I have to let her go one day. I will let her go when the Lord sends the right man into her life. Right now though I enjoy her. I love talking to her. I love seeing her nervous and sleepy. I love seeing her on Dr. Pepper. I love seeing her sipping tea and holding babies. I love seeing her get all excited over a nice knife. I love when she says, "I want to go hunting.. just once!" 

I don't know, all of my girls keep me snapping pictures and wondering what the Lord has in store for each and everyone of them. They're all so unique and who they are makes me different.

I would trade nothing I have for the time I get to spend with my Children. I love my friends but I would much rather be in the kitchen with Tay or playing blocks with the little girls, throwing the football with the boys or just curled up watching a movie with all of them. I often take walks across our land and I'll say, " So, Channie where are you going to build your house?" and she'll point and say, "right there mom" 100 steps from my back door..I let out a breath because I know her home will probably not be on this farm but a girl can dream can't she?  

I call her name and my lens catches the look of the day. Standing in the crowd of a candy shop she looks for me and listens for my voice and her eyes catch mine and her smile is a mixture of surprise and of knowing. Knowing that I would be capturing this moment. I'm kinda crazy like that.

 As we leave we all three share a small umbrella and they keep telling me to take it because they don't want me to get wet. Who am I to deserve such incredible daughters? I did get wet that day but only because I wanted to feel the rain and wanted to taste the day I spent shopping with my girls. A day that is captured.