Success Measured in Small Ways

We had carpool success today! Right off to the van and hopped right in. Ah, much better than yesterday. Happy Mama :)
I forgot to add one thing yesterday. When calming Princess down, I told her to go get her new necklace. I put it next to my heart and then put her finger on my neck where she could feel the heartbeat. "See? I'm putting all my heart's love in this necklace and if you get scared or lonely at school, just touch your necklace and it's like touching my heart. I'll know you're there and you will feel better," I told her. "Oh yes!" she replied "It's just like I know Jesus and God and Mary are all in my heart too. Now I'll know you're all there together." Gulp! I love it when I see this shining through!!

Stretch Marks

Some men have them. Many women have them. I have them. Quite a lot of them in fact. What am I talking about?
Stretch marks.
The badges of motherhood.
At least, that's what one of my co-workers said when we were both pregnant. I thought it was a quaint, cute, funny way of looking at them. As in, aww, isn't that a cute thing to say, a new mommy-to-be talking about the sweet changes your little baby can make?? Until I looked in the mirror one day. And, there they were. Nasty things. Darn it all anyway!
But, were they nasty, really?
Since becoming a mom, I have experienced things I never dreamed would happen.
I never thought I would care so much about someone other than myself.
I never thought I could feel so deeply about how another person was being treated by others.
I never worried so much about someone else's safety.
I grew and stretched in ways that were inconceivable to me in my pre-mom days. Skin stretch marks occur when skin is pulled by rapid growth or stretching. While I do have my fair share of visible stretch marks, the ones that I am most affected by are the ones that are unseen, the heart and soul stretch marks.
I'll take 'em and wear them with pride.
Well, the good ones that is. The other ones can take a flying leap and get off my tummy and legs.