Little Girl

Sometimes I find myself looking at my little girl and realize she's not so little. She's now eight, and has become such a beautiful, insightful and emotional girl. I gaze at her in wonderment because she has her whole life ahead of her and has so much potential. The world is out there for her to explore, she can strive for so many awesome things and can be successful in whatever she does.

Reading at J's hockey practice.

And then I blink and realize that in a few years, she may hate both myself and Phil just for being her parents.

I know these next few years are going to be tough; I remember how difficult being a teenage girl can be. I was not always full of the best behavior, both at home at at school (one time my basketball coach reamed me out for rolling my eyes at her). There are snippets now of Riley dealing with her emotions, and although we've yet to hear the "I hate you," we do get plenty of "it's not fair." I keep reminding her that life is not fair, which is something I know my parents told me.

Such a beautiful girl.

When my grandfather passed away on Dec. 6, I asked both kids to write something to put in the casket. I explained that they could write whatever they wanted. Riley helped Jeremy with his, in which he wrote:


Dear Great Grandpa,
I want to be with you for Christmas.
Love, Jeremy

Jeremy's letter.

Seriously, these kids amaze me. But Riley's, my goodness, it completely took my breath away.

She wrote:
He will always be with you in your heart. He will always remember all of us. He will especially remember that you were very kind to him. He will remember that in all the days when we were young. He will remember all of your birthdays and your parties. But before he even left he wanted to say goodbye but you were not there.
Love, Riley
 
Wow.

And to top it off, after the funeral, we came home and Phil and I were emotionally spent. The kids went upstairs, and Jeremy came down to get his crayons. No big deal, right? They both come down about 15 minutes later, and Jeremy hands me a card and Riley hands one to Phil. They both read:


Dear Mom and Dad.
Thank you for all that you do, from soccer, hockey, softball and T-ball. I hope $10 will do.
Love, Jeremy and Riley


Wow.


We simply told both kids that they didn't need to do that, and that all we need is for them to do their best. We said that we would continue to do this stuff for them as long as they did that. And what does Jeremy say?

"It's OK, Mom. It's Riley's money."

The kids are two of the best things that have ever happened to me. I hope they know that.