I picked him up and held him on my lap while recording a youtube video and he was the most perfect, adorable, easy going baby I could have asked for. After that I started thinking about some of the things that Lucas has taught me (and I must say, my 2 other children have taught me and keep teaching me many things as well):
- be patient = Lucas is so patient with my imperfections as a mother. He is also so patient with his siblings who sometimes get too physical, or too loud around him. I've been told that I'm very patient, yet I know that there's plenty of room for improvement... I want to be particularly patient with others when their agenda is not the same as mine.
- be forgiving = Lucas forgives me so easily. Sometimes he's hungry and I'm not as quick to feed him as he would probably like, so he starts crying : ( but the moment that I start feeding him he gives me a huge smile indicating that he forgives me and that he is...OK. I have had my feelings hurt, been disappointed and wronged by others and I definitely want to be quicker at forgiving and forgetting, and moving on.
- be thankful = I can tell that Lucas is thankful and appreciates the time I spend with him, the meals I prepare for him, the tickles and kisses I give him. He likes to give me 'mouth open, slobbery kisses' as a thank you! I always remind my children to say: thank you... I have a thankful heart but I know I could be more 'vocal' about my gratitude with everyone around me.
- be loving = this little boy shares his love with everyone he sees. He does it with no restraint, and with no assumptions of getting love back. Unconditional love is now a new goal for me.
- be happy and positive = My mom told me once that teething is so painful that if we were to go through it as adults we would go insane (I wonder if we deliberately erase from our memory what we went through as babies to get teeth in our mouth?!). Lucas is always so happy despite teething, croup, runny noses, sitting with a poopy diaper, not being able to express himself, not being able to move from one spot to the other, etc (there seem to be so many reasons why Lucas could be grumpy or sad, YET I know that he CHOOSES to be happy). I can be better at making the decision to be happy - despite the circumstances around me. I know happiness is a choice, it's my choice.
- be accepting and trusting = it seems to me that Lucas accepts life the way it is. He is relaxed, and even when things aren't going well (and he cries) Lucas just waits for things to get better, as if he knows and trusts in the ones around him, in life, and in God to make things right again. For me, trusting in God has everything to do with Faith. I will trust life more. I will trust that I am loved, I am safe and that sometimes life just has to run its course.
Hugs,
your Mama
