Living my Own Life!

So this weekend, I had yet another 'friend' give me this advice: You need to stop living your life for your kids...

Wow! How short-sighted

of him. My life for the past 21 + years has been amazing precisely because of my kids!I cannot even comprehend all of the magnificent things I have accomplished in my life because of their presence.

I learned so many skills- laying tile, making quilts, doing electrical wiring of light fixtures, putting up sheet rock, refinishing wood floors, and decorative painting- all in an effort to make a home for my children. I went back to school, earning a teaching certificate and a master's degree, all in an effort to make a living for the support of my children.

I have been able to be a gardener, a seamstress, a cook and bottle washer, a taxicab driver, a driver's ed instructor, a piano teacher, a baseball and basketball coach, a cheerleader, a baker, a nurse, a counselor, and so much more (a MOM!) because of my kids. Spending hours reading aloud from so many books ('Goodnight Moon', 'Madeline', 'The Hobbit', all of 'The Lord of the Rings' [twice!], all of Harry Potter [twice!] and so many others was not just time enjoyed by my kids. It was hours of time that will always be priceless to my memory! Sports games, piano recitals and dance practices/performances are all precious time I wouldn't trade for anything else- for me!

And all of the Family Home Evenings, family prayer time, scripture study and gospel discussions- Life cannot get any better. It is so rewarding to be able to discuss our beliefs as a family. It gives me a small glimpse of what eternity can be for me.

Now that my children are getting older (two adults and one to go!), my life will continue to be entwined with theirs. Anyone who has ever had a child go on a mission will understand how I felt when I received the first of 'those' letters: the ones where your child suddenly expresses their appreciation for you in a way that forever melts your heart...

My kids are my life, the life I am living. My kids are my best friends. I am so very blessed to be able to dedicate a small part of my life to them!

(And to my 'friend' and anyone else like him, you will be very blessed indeed if my kids and I consider you to be a part of our lives.)