I have many thoughts in my mind the past few days & just felt the urge to write them down...to express them in some way. Isn't that what a blog is for?
If you know me at all, you might say I am a creative sort. I have always had a "thing" for creating stuff. Sometimes for money, sometimes for personal pleasure, often-times for relaxation.
Do you create?
What is your creative outlet?
Do you scrapbook (I do)?
How about photography (yep, that, too)?
Needlework (me, too!)?
Sewing (ummm..duh.)?
Quilting (nah...)?
One of the sometimes embarrassing, and secretly pleasant, side-effects of creativity is the compliments. The ooh's & the ahh's are....nice. I truly enjoy looking at something I have poured hours and hours of my time into. Conversely, I have been known to fully complete something, say an outfit for one of my kids, and then chunk it in the Goodwill bag after one wear because I was humiliated to say I had made it. Hey, we all have off days! HA!
So, by now, you may be thinking this post is a bit self-serving, and maybe, in the end, it will be. However, the creative expression that I want to talk about isn't about something you can buy supplies for at the local Hobby Lobby or Joanns craft stores. It's bigger than that. Chances are, it's something that even you...the self-professed "uncreative" person partakes in everyday.
Do you have kids?
I do.
Eight of them.
Yes. Eight.
Five girls & three boys.
Ages 6-21.
Yes, they are all mine.
No, there are no twins.
No, we aren't Mormon or Catholic.
No, we don't know the Duggars personally.
No, I didn't plan to have them all, God did.
(I think that covers all of the most-asked questions....)
My kids are my greatest creation. I know, I know...technically, I didn't create them, God did. However, I DID play a VERY big role in it...so I'll take a little bit of credit.
From the moment I first laid eyes on each of them, they stole my whole heart. I believe I must have, like, 10 or 13 hearts...one for each of my kids, one for my sweetheart, and some extras for all the other people I love.
From the moment I first held each one, I knew they were a great creation!
Each and every child is a wondrous creation.
I have, on more than one occasion had the feeling of wanting to have Lion King moment...you know, the scene where that creepy monkey holds up the baby lion for all the world to see.
C'mon...tell me you haven't had the urge to do that!
You know, hold up your kid high for all the world to see & yell at the top of your lungs, "HEY!!! LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!!" Bowing is optional.
Parenting is hard work. Seriously, the absolute hardest thing I have ever done in my whole entire life! I take it extremely seriously. To see them becoming decent, loving, God-fearing, kind, well-adjusted people is a deep source of pride for me. However, I can never sit back and rest & say...look how good they are turning out...I think I'll take a break. Because, unlike an unfinished sewing project, six months down the road, they won't be in the same place. "Resting" while parenting can cause so much extra work!
In the last 3 months, I have seen 2 of my creations completed. It has been bittersweet, to put it mildly.
Occasionally, I will make a particularly beautiful dress for my little girls and, when they outgrow it, I feel small sense of sadness at not having it on the scene anymore. I cannot make them stop growing, though, I have even tried to bribe them.
That sense of sadness is nothing compared to watching your beautiful daughter, dressed in the purest white, walk down the aisle and give her heart to a young man.
W.O.W!
The pain is acute.
But so is the pride.
That day, when I have sat and watched some of my finest creations pledge their life & love to another, has been the last time I had that Lion King moment. There she was...for everyone to see. So beautiful. So poised. So happy. She loves God. She is smart. She has so much to offer. AND she can cook!
I have never been more proud than that day.
I also have never hurt more.
I received the compliments graciously.
There are still 6 more creations at home. Works in progress.
I will still have cause to hold up my babies and show the world..."LOOK WHAT I MADE!!!"
Bowing is optional.
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| Morgan & Enrique January 23, 2015 |
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| Heather & Seth May 2, 2015 |
***Special note: This post is written from my standpoint, but is in no way meant to discount the role their Dad plays. Just saying...****
