Grateful Heart

So today is the day. It is actually the night. It is Prom Night. The theme for this year is "I Don't Wanna Miss Thing" and both my girls are going. I am not a fan of shopping so I feel like the worst mom in the world for not really wanting to go prom dress shopping. Not being a fan of shopping is not really the only problem. The other problem is that shopping with my girls is a lesson in sheer frustration as they are both thin and they are both beautiful. Listening to two twigs say "that dress makes me look fat" is really just a little more than disconcerting. However, both dresses have been purchased and both are just perfect for each girl. What got me thinking about all of this today was the fact that I was having trouble seeing on my way to work. I know my mind really works different than some, but my next thought was "What a horrible thing it would be if I couldn't see" and then the next thought was "I cannot imagine not seeing my beautiful daughters all dressed up for prom."

While the whole process of getting ready for prom has not been one that really appeals to me, I was thinking this morning how lucky I am. Lucky that I can see my daughters, all beautiful and grown up, how I would never know how beautiful they looked if I could not see. The next thought that came to me was how I would really hate it if I could not hear. I think about this quite often as I really do struggle to hear out of my left ear. I love music. I love to sing. I love to listen to my kids laugh. My daughter Mallory has the best belly laugh. It is the laugh she laughs when she is truly amused. I cannot imagine never hearing my son Zachary say "Mooom, I have a question." He always says that first rather than just asking the question, as if the announcement is needed to allow him a few more minutes to form his thoughts. My son Kenny, who at the age of 20 still calls me Mommy. "Mommy I love you" I would be sad to never hear him say that again. I know there are many ways to communicate but I am so grateful I can hear.

The last thing I thought on my way into work was how glad I am that I can move my legs, that I can run. I guess all of these things are things we take for granted. But imagine never running. I love to run. I love going to my aerobics classes and stumbling over my own feet.I love being able to hike in the woods. To be able to walk through nature and see what is going on. I love just being able to get where I need to and never having to depend on anyone else.

For all that I can do I am grateful.