Mommy and Things (aka HIJACKED)

We do life together. We parent together. We run together. We work together. We eat together. We sleep together (literally, we sleep in the same bed, so get your mind out of the gutter). But as I continue to age, she continues to mature. She continues to find herself, stretch herself, grow herself, become comfortable in who she was made to be, but not content in who she is right now.

Those of you who are fortunate enough to know Summer, know of her tender and compassionate heart, listening ear, wisdom, grace, wit and drive. Her mommy heart is through the roof. Her passion as an artist is amazing (as well as her skill level). The amazing thing about both these aspects of life, the aspects of life that take up the largest chunk of her time and energy, is that she always wants to be better at what she is doing. She wants to be a better mommy, able to be more present in the kids lives, have more patience with them, have better ways to bestow wisdom on them. She also wants to be a better photographer, able to see things that others don’t see, to get the lighting just right, to capture that perfect moment.

What she doesn’t always grasp though, is that in both those things, she is continually seeing and sharing beautiful things. We have a 3 year old that is amazed by the sunsets. A 7 year old that sees how the sun is shining through things or how the clouds are moving and proceeds to point it out to others. A 9 year old, who doesn’t like getting his picture taken, but always wants Mommy to have her camera to capture what we do in life. I think the Mommy/artist in her is raising some well-rounded, appreciative children. They see the beauty in every day life. They know that just chilling at home, playing games and with Lego’s is sometimes more than enough to pass as an awesome day. They know that sometimes the simple things in life are all that are needed.

So on this, her 30th or so birthday, I want her to wish her a happy birthday, and remind her that she is an amazing wife, mom, daughter, friend, artist, and whatever else you want to throw in there to describe her. Happy Birthday, Summer! I love you and am proud of you.

If you see her today, give her an extra long hug, if you aren’t comfortable with that, then a happy high-five. If you don’t see her today, tell her on Facebook, or through a phone call or text. Let her know how much she is appreciated and loved!

Thank you for bearing with me and, more importantly, loving on Summer!