Happy to be part of the family...

I talked with my daughter-in-law the other day...she was feeling a bit sad as she watches her children grow up and start to move forward...And I felt for her...I remember that feeling of seeing my children growing for the first real time (and I carried that feeling with me for the 43 years before uniting with Gerard)...it isn't like a birthday where you celebrate the fact that they are another year older...rather it is a day when you see a little into the future and how they are preparing for a life of their own.

No one warns you as a Mother how you will feel when that day comes...but it is a sadness of sorts that washes over you and you know that your place in their life is also changing. And you have to begin to let go a little so that they can fly...

I sent her flowers...the card simply read YOUR THE BEST! Because she is! And I wanted her to know that...

And it made me aware of how very HAPPY I am to be part of this family...I wrote my son and let him know that...In return I got a message saying..."You have been since I was born.  And I'm glad too."

I think it is important to let those you love know that they are important in your life. With Gerard and family because they do not live close I cannot invite them to dinner or run over and offer a hug when one is needed or I need one...So I have to do that with words...It is unconditional love...

Our family and our friends are our anchors...they accept us just the way we are and they are there to help us when we need them...it is a cocoon that gives us a feeling of belonging and a sense of place. But all to often these anchors are the ones we forget to acknowledge because they are our safe haven...perhaps in some ways we take them for granted...knowing that they will always be there for us...

what I find is that when I share those feelings my love expands...and it strengthens and nourishes the bonds that are already there...It is these simple moments of love...simply stated straight from the heart that strike me right to the core...

I love and I am loved...

It just doesn't get better than that!