27 in week 26

All About Us

Birthdays - they come and they go. To a 16 or 21 year old, a birthday is the best day ever. To this 27-year old on her birthday, it was just one more day that brought me closer to the birthday of our precious baby girl. While I appreciate the calls, cards, e-mails, presents, text messages, and facebook messages, it was really just another ordindary day for me. One of the best things about the day was being able to spend it with my parents - something I haven't been able to do in years. Jason, me, and the puppies went up to their house for the weekend and relaxed. Mom, Jason, and I went through all of my junk from high school and college that hadn't been sorted through since my parents moved 6 years ago. It was fun going through old yearbooks and college pictures. I was able to part with a lot of things, leaving only one box of "keepsakes" to grab when Jason and I are able to move into a bigger house. One of the items I found was a book that my mom had given me. She always gave me such meaningful books - a couple were dedicated to "daughter" quotes, which will come in very handy when I will soon have a daughter of my own. Any book given to me by my mom always had a special message written inside by her. This particular book simply stated: "To: Amy, From: Mom, Why: I Love You." It was touching when I first received it, but even more so when I read it while thinking of Lidia. And then I read it again aloud to Jason and we both cried. This book is an inside look at the lyrics of a Lee Ann Womack song titled, "I Hope You Dance."

To Lidia:

As my mother once hoped for me, your Daddy and I hope the same for you...

I Hope You Dance

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder;

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger;

May you never take one single breath for granted;

God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed;

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean;

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens;

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance;

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance;

I hope you dance;

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance;

Never settle for the path of least resistance;

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin';

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin';

Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter;

When you come close to sellin' out reconsider;

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance;

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance;

I hope you dance;

Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along;

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder

where those years have gone;

I hope you dance