My Mother’s Day Gift

So for the last few days the joke amongst our family is my Mother’s Day gift was a brand new AC unit!!!!!  Yes Sunday afternoon in the sweltering heat (and yes it’s only May) we discovered our AC unit at our house had checked out!!!!  Well just wait and see everyone said it may just be a quick fix butttttttt no not ours lol.  So a big check later we have a brand new AC unit!  Yayyyyy! To add to the sarcasm everyone is commenting on my hate of being hot, but in my defense who the heck wants to shower and simply walk to the car and be sweating already.  Or better yet when we go somewhere I always joke that I didn’t come here to pay to sweat.  It is just something that anyone who knows me knows I DO NOT LIKE TO BE HOT LOL!!!!!  So finally 4 days later we are back home with actual cool air circulating through our home.  Now I must admit it wasn’t a true sacrifice to have to pack up and move to my Mom and Dad’s while waiting, or Maw Maw & Pepa’s Hotel as Leighton calls it.  And I must also tell you I don’t know who cried more; my kids or Maw Maw when we only got to stay 3 nights instead of the originally expected 6 nights!!  But now that I lay here in bed laughing to myself about how things have changed over the years (I mean I never would of imagined saving for years to have to take some of it out for air conditioning) that’s just something I always took for granted as my parents took care of.  But hey I guess I have to grow up sometime right????  As I was packing on Sunday for our retreat to Maw Maw’s Hotel I grabbed a daily devotion book off my nightstand that I got for my birthday which literally was 2 months ago.  After the kids were settled and I got ready for bed in the bathroom of my Mom’s house I came across the book inside my overnight bag.  I sat on the bathroom floor and just held it.  I know I read the cover at least 10 times.  And right before I opened it I made myself a promise... if I opened this book; which was a special gift from a friend who knows my daily struggles, I was going to promise myself to devote at least 10 minutes a day to read it till it was complete!  This I told myself would be my gift to myself for Mother’s Day.  True, it was a deal I was making with myself to read the book, but it was also a way for me to give myself time not only for myself, but for God and ultimately to be in a better place for my family.  I know for a fact my greatest personal times of my life have been the times I was more devoted to my personal growth through faith.  So 4 days in I have accomplished daily devotion time for reflection and I am beyond excited to see what will become of it.  So tonight when I got these pictures of my kids enjoying one on one time with Brent at first I was sad and jealous I wasn’t there, but then I reminded myself to view it differently.  My kids were smiling and enjoying their special time with Daddy while I was having a Mommy night.  Everyone deserves a little free time and I need to appreciate the moments they get to share and that I get to do just me!  The helicopter Mom in me doesn’t like to not be there all the time, but the Mom I want to be is slowly learning it’s ok to have alone time sometimes too!