A Myriad of Musings From a Mother's Mind: You bring me Joy

This is it.

Tonight is my Sweet Pea's last night of being a single digit girl. Tomorrow she will be 10.

Wow. 10 years have gone by already. Seems strange, when I look at her, to think that she is the same sweet baby I brought home 10 years ago. Then I look right at her face, and it doesn't seem strange at all.

Of my three, she is by far the most laid back. As an infant, she slept on her own right away-unlike her siblings. She woke up happy and singing to herself as a toddler. She played often by herself quietly. She was so quiet in the car that I often checked and re-checked to make sure I hadn't left her behind.

She isn't always quiet now though. When she gets the giggles look out. She laughs uncontrollably with no reserve. While it is sometimes madly inappropriate, there's something about watching her laugh that makes me smile.

She is often in her own world-much like I was at her age. There's that saying, you know, the one that talks about marching to the beat of a different drummer. Yea, well my Sweet Pea doesn't march at all. She dances to the sound of a flute or something.

When my children were babies, I would often sing to them. With each child came a special song, one that I would sing over and over to them in particular. Sweet Pea's song is You Bring Me Joy by Anita Baker. That is the song I would sing to her over and over, and it is still the song in my heart when I think about her. Her gentle spirit, her giggles, her dance through life, these all bring joy to my heart.

You bring me joy, when I'm down oh, so much joy
When I lose my way your love comes smiling on me
I saw your face and then I knew we would be friends
I was so afraid, but your arms they said come to me

Being a parent has been one terrific, yet horribly frightening ride for me. A ride that has left me, on more than one occasion, begging the operator to let me off of NOW! But it is also one that has brought with it so much joy, and much of that joy is found in the gentle, giggling, dancing girl I call Sweet Pea.