Colette’s Daughter | Personal
This last week my mom was in town visiting. Anyone who doesn’t know her personally really only needs to meet me. We joke we are the same person in two different bodies—and it’s no joke! We act alike, spiderweb from random story to random story alike (and yes, we track with each other!) When we’re out in public together we have countless people tell us, “Well I know you are mother-daughter!” (And of course, there are those people my mom likes to call her new best friends who say we’re sisters!) It’s kind of freaky when we are in the same room together because our mannerisms even unknowingly mimic the others! But you know what!? WE LOVE IT!
As I was trying to figure out what I wanted to blog about this week I vetoed something educational and didn’t want to post tips for your photography session. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to invite you into this special part of my life.
Michael was out of town for a few days at a conference last week so my mom decided to fly from Colorado to spend those days with Moose and I! Whenever she comes to town I know it will be a time filled with laughter and long walks and heart to hearts. It will be antiquing and taking whole room full of decorations and rearranging and mix and matching and dancing to music. It will be mornings on the patio with our cup of Hazelnut coffee (one of our favorites!) It will be shopping—both the hunt for something specific but also the fun in trying on random outfits to make the other one laugh. It will be cooking together in the kitchen or getting manicures (where they look at my mom after she tells them her age and then look at me and say, “You’re lucky!!! You have good genes!!!” And of course, I know I do!) It will be standing in the middle of stores reading each other the funniest cards we can find and laughing WAY too loudly! It will be walks to the closest grocery story (because we like exercise) and then getting a donut (because we like sugar).
We just get each other.
But after every visit as I’m sitting in my red two-door car watching my beautiful brunette mama roll her suitcase behind her into the airport terminal (stopping at the sliding doors to look back and wave again before I pull away….it’s just what we do), I’m in awe of the woman God gave me to model motherhood. It hits me every time. It doesn’t matter how many times she’s come in and how many times I’ve watched her leave, it happens every time.
I can’t believe God saw fit to give me a mom who loves each of her children so selflessly. Who flies thousands of miles so one wouldn’t be lonely for a few days. Who knows when to encourage and when to just listen. Who believes just as much in their dreams as they do. She models grace and love and Christ-filled joy. She is everyone’s friend. She challenges us to be a blessing to those around us, “Blessed to be a blessing” she says. She shares her struggles and lets us see no one is perfect but the beauty in Christ’s new mercy every day in our lives. She serves my dad so beautifully. We watch them love each other through all stages of life, see the joy in their marriage and know that when they say, “It only gets better!” they mean it and everyone sees it. She reminds me how to be a diligent sister and patient friend.
I can’t believe that I get to be a part of her legacy! I don’t know what I’d do without her–not only as my mom, but as my friend! Oh, I pray that I can be half the woman she is to my future children as she is to me!
And so today, Tuesday, as I write this I’m sitting at the kitchen table crying a mixture of both happy and sad tears. But mostly happy. Crying because today I had to watch her board a plane to leave again. I had to watch a piece of my heart fly away again. But more than anything I’m happy. Happy she’s a call, a text away. Happy for each moment together. Happy for laughter and new memories to add to our ever growing collection. Happy for all the times yet to be had. Happy for the pink nails that reminds me of our manicure side by side. Happy for the funny card hanging with a magnet on our fridge that reminds me of our laughs. Happy for the new athletic shorts I’m wearing she bought me but can’t help to smile as I think about the donut. Happy I’m Colette’s daughter.
