heart wish
July 25, 2012 § 2 Comments
On a warm Fall day in the company of an eclectic collection of preschool mothers relaxing into lazy conversations while our children settled into their first day of school, a friend placed her newborn daughter in my arms. Already the mother of a little boy who filled every space of my heart with joy I suddenly found my heart wishing for a little girl.
I returned home that day filled with a quiet hope and cautious curiosity, eager to share my heart’s wish for our little family with my husband. After years of committing ourselves to exploring our days with our son, entirely content to dote on our smiling, curious tiny companion my husband and I agreed we were both ready to begin a new chapter in our lives. And so our minds and hearts began gathering dreams of someone new and yet unknown.
Like most pregnant mothers my greatest wish was for a healthy child. I set aside little girl daydreams and embraced the experience indulging in rest, random cravings, and dwindling days of Mommy & Me adventures with my son.
Then, on an August morning, my husband and I welcomed our daughter. Holding her gently against my chest I marveled at the realization of a wish come true. She fit into the quiet places of our hearts as naturally as the rhythm of our days.
Eight years later I can barely count the blessings of her presence. I dreamed of a little girl who would climb trees in princess dresses, but her life is greater than my dreams. She is familiar and foreign, a fascinating contradiction of predictable chaos. She walks with one foot off the path, testing her boundaries and creating a new experience.
I nurtured lessons in compassion and kindness, but my daughter’s strength humbles me. She is the first to out a wrong, will stand confidently in a place of discomfort, lend a voice when another will not speak in their own defense. She does all this alongside vulnerable moments of insecurity. She struggles in traditional areas of academia, but excels in the unwritten lessons of life. I marvel at her wisdom and wonder at her doubts.
The little girl who began as a wish fills our days with bigger dreams; she is a blessing that multiplies joy and lessons sorrow with her smile.
scribblechic 
Daughters are amazing, and the more you have you find that same amazement in each. I think that is what surprised me the most. My first daughter was so kind, compassionate and confident. My other daughter was goofy, temperamental, and defiantly marched to the beat of her own drum. My third- I am still learning about her. She is 2 but I think the adventure seeking 2 year old takes over more than she allows me to really see her. They are so inspiring to be around and watch grow up. (boys, I know nothing about.)
I often say that my son is the only boy that makes perfect nonsense to me.
I marvel at my children’s differences with the same sense of wonder that I acknowledge their shared traits. My days are infinitely more interesting in their company.