As a Mother you pray that when you drop off your children each day to be in the care of someone else that those people will love your children even a fourth as much as you do. We are blessed to have found more than that. Our children are with some amazing women that love them almost as much as we do! When I found out I was pregnant for Braxton I knew immediately where I wanted him to go everyday for child care. My best friend's kids went to a lady name Mrs. Tricia! I had met her a few times when I would go to pick up his kids for him here and there. For some reason I always knew I wanted to ask her to watch my kids when we finally had some. Immediately after becoming pregnant we asked and she said of course she would keep Braxton for us when I returned to work after his birth. So once we learned the true heartache of Braxton's disease and then were faced with the hard truth of not even getting to bring him home I knew he would never get to be at Mrs. Tricia's or meet her. I remember my best friend telling me he had let her know not to hold our spot for us, and she told him that we would always have a spot for our other kids in the future. I can remember even up to a year after losing Braxton I would sometimes pass by her house and cry as I drove by. I would leave work some afternoons and let myself pretend that I was headed there to pick him up. But when I got there I couldn't turn down the long gravel road that I wanted to so badly. Her beautiful white house sits back on a huge piece of land with a long gravel road that brings you to it. As crazy as it sounds I drove past it millions of times and every single time as I passed I started sobbing and then felt completely ridiculous. But I still did it, except every time I passed her house the sadness of all I could truly do was drive to the cemetery instead of daycare would set in. Something about driving by made me feel a little bit better though. So when we found out we were expecting Leighton I could not wait to find out if it was truly my turn to claim a spot at Mrs Tricia's house. And as she had said a few years earlier we of course were welcome. Each year since my kids have been with her she has always supported us in all of our Braxton traditions. She has never not allowed Leighton to talk about him or me for that matter. I learned that she had faced hard times too while watching her daughter go through treatments at St. Jude many years before. The common awareness we both share about how special each minute we get to share with our kids is a blessing is an unspoken factor in why I feel so close to her. She has taught me so much about being a Mother and a lot more about how a Mother should never let anyone speak badly about your children or make you believe you are wrong for always putting your children first. This week we passed out Team Braxton shirts to people who so graciously ordered them to support us. And like always Mrs. Tricia ordered too.... But what you must know is she not only orders for herself or even just for her family. She insists on buying one for each student she cares for. That way no one is left out and no one has to worry if they can't afford one at the time. Yesterday I was sent a text that tomorrow would be what she calls a Braxton day. Which means everyone will wear their shirts together. Leighton was beyond excited to see her friends all wearing Bubba shirts as she told me, but even more excited to tell me every one was twins. She would name each friends name on the way home and say "And guess what he wore?" I would respond with what each time and she would giggle and proudly say "A Bubba shirt all day!" What a perfect way to start our family weekend we have planned to honor our Braxton! I've always known Tricia loves my children and thinks of all of her parents as family, but today it hit me that Braxton actually does have a spot at Tricia's. It is a spot in her heart and that means more than anything to me!
HAPPY BRAXTON DAY!
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