Sunday, May 9, 2010

Embrace Life - It's Mother's Day

The boys woke up at 7:00 this morning and rushed in to give me their home-made gifts (my favorite kind) while I was laying in bed - Tommy made a card in Kindergarten with a sweet poem and his hand-print and Sammy also made a card in which he wrote an amazing message. A little excerpt is: "I love you mom. Thank you for razing me." That made me smile and cry all at once. He also made me a bracelet which I wore all day. You know, sometimes I can't believe I am a mom. There was a time when I didn't think that dream would ever come true and now I am eight years into it! The days are going too fast. I've asked the boys to stop growing, but they aren't listening!

We had plans to meet family for a picnic/ wiener roast down at a park near the river. It was loads of fun and the kids brought their bikes so they could ride the trails to and from the playground. The weather even co-operated, although the wind was picking up as we were leaving. Not only were we celebrating Mother's Day, but it was my Dad's birthday. As I have mentioned before, I like scrapbooking family photos, so my present to Dad was a page I made highlighting a photo of him in his workshop working on a "project" with my kids. They love going in Grandpa's workshop and take this privilege quite seriously. I put this page in a shadow box frame so he could hang it in his office. The memories they share in this workroom will last a lifetime... and I think it is pretty cool my dad has smelly markers among all of his tools!


I've spent some of the day feeling quite emotional. A thought crossed my mind as I considered the date, May 9. We have now passed the six month mark of surviving our accident. It is getting further away from my thoughts, but every now and then I have these flashbacks and I find myself staring into space shuddering at the thought of a different outcome. And today I have been thinking how lucky I am to have my children safe and sound with me; giving me hand-made cards with stick-man drawings and spelling mistakes. Unfortunately not all mothers are having a good day today and I am pretty teary knowing that. My mom sent me this video- it is beautiful and powerful... please watch it- it is short and so worth it. And please, always wear your seat belt and make sure your little ones are buckled up correctly.

I hope to have some art to show you this week. I only got to the studio for a total of about four hours last week which makes for pretty slow going on a large canvas!

6 comments:

-Don said...

I'm glad you had a happy Mother's Day, Nicki. You deserved it. When I first saw your photo of your dad and the boys I thought of Norman Rockwell. This looked like something he would have painted. Sweet!

-Don

Unknown said...

I'm glad you had a good day, Nick. You are such a good mom ... and I know you learned from the very best, our own precious mom.
It was fun to watch the boys go off and explore the park while we all visited. It was very sweet when Tommy came back with a ragged piece of a lilac branch for you ... flowers for Mother's Day!!

Unknown said...

What a wonderful Mother's Day. It will continue to get better and better for you Nicki. I was just thinking about how this day might play into memories of your accident. I know first hand how traumatic collisions are. It is quite normal to have these flashbacks but you've taken the healthy approach and use them as a reminder of how fortunate you are. Many people do not learn this lesson until they are quite on in years. What a wonderful gift of appreciation of life you'll be giving to your boys. (((hugs))

Nicki said...

Hi Don,

Thanks, it was a lovely day. And when I looked at the photo again after reading your comment, I totally agree!

Nicki


Hi JJ,

Thanks for all the organizing you did. We all had lots of fun. I put my wilting branches in water when we got home and they recovered! So pretty.

XO N.


Hi Sheila,

Yes, you would know about the trauma that comes along with bad car accidents. I certainly have come to understand how deeply it has effected me- the intensity is fading, but it is now part of me. We are fortunate, though, and it is hard to take precious moments for granted... which, in the end, is a good thing.

Hugs back to you. I hope you had a great day.... your breakfast looked yummy!

Nicki

Artist said...

lovely scrapbook page. i am truly sorry to hear about the accident. glad you are alright!

Nicki said...

Hi Artist,

Thank you for your kindness... we are doing well and very thankful for that fact.

Nicki