I was driving, and I got to thinking...
I was driving my one-year old through the curvy mountain roads of Tennessee - he wouldn't fall asleep.
This country song, For You by Keith Urban, came on the radio. I'd never heard it before. (I'm a closet Country music person - mostly liking whatevthe old stuff from Alabama like I'm in a Hurry to Get Things Done and John Denver's Country Road.) It got me thinking. It got me thinking about what we do for the ones we love. How we'll go all out for them, and give our last ounce of energy to care for them. It got me thinking about my four kids. I wrote this for them, and in my mind I'm looking really cool and playing a guitar and just being country-style-awesome. (I'll let you read my Mama-Baby love note, too.)
My Sweet, Dear Honeys,
For you, I'll make your favorite foods just the way you like them because I want you to learn that doing small, kind things for people makes them feel special. You are special to me, and I will show you as much as I can.
For you, I'll get up with you every time you cry in the night. I'll always be at your side to comfort you when you're scared, lonely, or sick. I won't complain about it, and you can count on me to be there for you until you fall back asleep. I'll be there with you in the dark.
For you, I will reinvent my dreams so that you are apart of them. I won't give up on myself. I will give you an example of a person that makes her own path in life, in spite of all the twists and turns that life throws her way.
For you, I'll see past your naughtiness on days when it's difficult to do so. I will instead see the wonderful person you are first. I'll see your potential, your dreams, and your gifts. I won't get stuck thinking you are your faults. You are so much more than that.
For you, I'll guide you back on the right path when you wander off when you are young. I won't let you get lost. I won't give up on you. I won't lead you to believe the world is one way when it's another. I'll do this all with a humble heart - because I'm not perfect, and I've wandered in my day, too. I'll look for the time when I have to let you go your own way. And I'll wait for you at the end of the path, even if it's a long time, and even if it hurts.
For you, I'll love your daddy and treat him right. I won't let you get in between us because you'll resent that one day. I'll kiss and hug your daddy everyday, in front of you, so you see that committing to someone is a good thing. And loving someone for a lifetime isn't always easy, but it's not always difficult, either.
For you, I will figure out how to be happy at home so I can be with you, even though there are days when I am frustrated, or think that life would be easier if I had a job. I will hang in there with you, because I love you more than I love myself.
For you, I would die. I would put your life before my own. I will look over you and defend you. Whenever I am around, you do not need to worry. I will go to the end for you.
Love Always, Forever, To the Moon and Back,
Mom
My Sweet, Dear Honeys,
For you, I'll make your favorite foods just the way you like them because I want you to learn that doing small, kind things for people makes them feel special. You are special to me, and I will show you as much as I can.
For you, I'll get up with you every time you cry in the night. I'll always be at your side to comfort you when you're scared, lonely, or sick. I won't complain about it, and you can count on me to be there for you until you fall back asleep. I'll be there with you in the dark.
For you, I will reinvent my dreams so that you are apart of them. I won't give up on myself. I will give you an example of a person that makes her own path in life, in spite of all the twists and turns that life throws her way.
For you, I'll see past your naughtiness on days when it's difficult to do so. I will instead see the wonderful person you are first. I'll see your potential, your dreams, and your gifts. I won't get stuck thinking you are your faults. You are so much more than that.
For you, I'll guide you back on the right path when you wander off when you are young. I won't let you get lost. I won't give up on you. I won't lead you to believe the world is one way when it's another. I'll do this all with a humble heart - because I'm not perfect, and I've wandered in my day, too. I'll look for the time when I have to let you go your own way. And I'll wait for you at the end of the path, even if it's a long time, and even if it hurts.
For you, I'll love your daddy and treat him right. I won't let you get in between us because you'll resent that one day. I'll kiss and hug your daddy everyday, in front of you, so you see that committing to someone is a good thing. And loving someone for a lifetime isn't always easy, but it's not always difficult, either.
For you, I will figure out how to be happy at home so I can be with you, even though there are days when I am frustrated, or think that life would be easier if I had a job. I will hang in there with you, because I love you more than I love myself.
For you, I would die. I would put your life before my own. I will look over you and defend you. Whenever I am around, you do not need to worry. I will go to the end for you.
Love Always, Forever, To the Moon and Back,
Mom
