Looking Back on My Late-in-Life Motherhood Adventure

Just spent a good thirty minutes looking for pictures of Christa's birth. I wrote an article about my mommy-come-lately experience, and now the art director would like a few photos to go along with the article.


Could I find them?


Nope--despite the fact that I organized my photos into nicely dated photo boxes a few years back. The box labeled 2000 contained only 2 photos of Christa's birth--and those were the ones my husband had no business taking.


Needless to say, I will not be sending those to the magazine!


In just a few days--5 to be exact--Christa will be 7 years old. She was born on Christmas Eve.

And I don't know how she managed to grow up so fast.


I mean, I knew she would because my other three children certainly did. But even so, I am surprised that there's this tall, slender almost 7-year-old child snuggled under her purple comforter. Where did my toddler go?


I caught many glimpes of her tonight as I flipped through several boxes of photos. Proof positive that I was there for these past 7 years--and armed with a camera!


I like to encourage other mommies-come-lately to embrace their children. It something all moms should do: Open your arms wide and then wrap them around your child and draw that precios person close to your heart. Before you know it, your child is going to grow up and away from you.


And that is as it should be.


Motherhood is a magical balance of embracing while letting go.

Embrace your child as much as you can while you can.