The day after, I had no chores or jobs or plans but to hold you, feed you and investigate your tiny toes, sweet hands and beautiful face. Dad and the hospital staff took complete care of me, I got to spend the whole day with dad and the only thing I needed to do was to love this perfect, wonderful person.
I remember how small you seemed,
but how bright and sunshiny even at just over 6 pounds. And today you
bounded into my room, still petite but clearly growing, but just as
sunshiny as ever.Grandma MJ said to me this morning that she loved how grateful you seemed last night - how every small thing was a delight to you. Your sense of happy perspective is amazing to me - I told my mom this morning that I couldn't think of a time where you were really disappointed.
You see the fun, the pleasure and the gift of every moment ordinary or momentous. When something is hard, you work harder. When we have a change of plans, you jump right to the sunny side of the new plan. When we got this last round of snow, you said "Now we can sit by the fire and read!" When you receive a gift - it is like the best present in the world - no matter what it is.
Seamus made a silver figurine out of pipe cleaners and gave it to you. You would have thought it was your own personal merry-go-round for how your face lit up. He made something sweet, thoughtful and your 6 year old self can see the preciousness of that gift.
Embrace this part of your soul. If at 16, 26, 36, 56 and 96 you can be satisfied with ordinary as well as the extraordinary you will be the most successful person in the world. It isn't about settling for less, or about lowering your standards, it's about finding joy and opportunity in every experience.
Success in my mind, doesn't mean making tons of money or having lots of prestige; being successful to me means finding purpose in your life, finding a way to make your life impactful; finding that a life well lived looks different for everyone, but knowing what it looks like for you.
I told Greta on Tuesday night at her confirmation vigil, that if you asked me at 18 what I thought the Holy Spirit was calling for me in my life, I wouldn't have expected my vocation to be about family. I wanted to move away, I didn't expect to get married young, I would have said I wanted to be teaching.
And yet I see that family is a vocation for me. I love being your mom. I love my parents and siblings and I find that right now a lot of my time is spent nurturing this part of my life. And it makes me very happy.
Being with Greta also reminded me that Dad and I brought you to her first communion (three days old) and she was wearing my First Communion dress. That was the first moment that I really thought about how it might be different to have a daughter. And I cried with surprised joyfulness. My gratitude for you caught me off guard.
I know you had a great day yesterday. Dad made his special waffles in the morning. You brought treats to share at school (fruit roll ups). I painted your finger nails when you got home. You helped me cook dinner (we de-veined shrimp for almost an hour) and set the table. Nick, Erin, Kerry, Grandma and Grandpa Schneeman, Bob and Paula all came for dinner. We had steak and shrimp, carrots and sugar snap peas, and of course baked potatoes. You asked for Strawberry Shortcake - and you wanted everyone to decorate their whip cream with sprinkles, chocolate or extra berries. It was a great idea (all your own).
When you fell into bed, happy and grateful, you thanked me for making real whipped cream (you stood on the stool and watched me whip it). What a funny, small thing to be grateful for, but how telling.
Even at 6 years old, you are aware of what is real, what is made with love and how something so small can add such sweetness to the world.
God gave you that present - and it's the best one ever.
I love you more than you know. And as we say all the time to each other, I am so glad that God gave you to us.
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