When I picked her up from work, she came around the corner with a tall stick. I thought of Moses. She explained how it was her mulberry stick. On her way to work, she passes a lady’s house who allows her to pick whatever she can reach from the mulberry tree that’s hanging over the fence. Only Katie… I told her how unique she was. Before heading for dinner, we stopped by the house.

She had been working in the bakery at “Sprouts” and smelled like rotisserie chicken. We chuckled at how that might offend some of the people at the vegan restaurant, so she wanted to shower and change.

We ended up rushing to “Sipz” (a vegan Thai place) and making it there right before it closed. I absolutely LOVE eating with her. She is so funny…so unique. No matter what happens on the outside, I “know” that my baby girl loves me, cares about, is thankful that “I” am her mommy, and I am overwhelmed with joy about her being my daughter.

Sometimes, Satan has his way with some parents, but in the end, God’s victory reigns through those same lives. At that moment, it’s so important to keep your eyes on Jesus and not regret the past. Whenever I’m tempted to remember the type of mother I was, I have moments like these, where I get to sit across from my baby girl and ENJOY her. We have a whole lifetime ahead of us…so many days of knowing who-I-am, not days of remembering who-I-was.

This mother’s day, I’m surprising my kids. When I thought about what I really wanted, I realized I want to shower them with time, love, surprises. THEY’re the reasons I’m a mother, and Kyle’s the one who started it all. I’ve gotten to see glimpses of him the past two nights, too. I love making him laugh. He has the best chuckle ever. I love my kids.

There’s no wonder why I cry, when I write about my kids. I wish you could be in my heart, see my past, know my present, and experience my future. It’s enough to make the boldest man cry.