Smiles

I'm reading a book I got at Noelle's baby celebration...Something More - Excavating your Authentic Self. There has been something that has touched me deeply in most of the sections I've read.

The first one is the concept of looking for the gift within my fear and benefiting from it. At first glance, I related this to the panic and anxiety issues. But now I think it goes much deeper than that.

The next is the realization that I'm grateful just to be alive and able to work through issues.

Today's gem is the invitation at the end of the section to think about something small but special about my life today and savor it.

That small something is a smile. I have sat and purposely remembered each of my children smiling at me today. I've been praying each day that I could be what they need me to be. I'm adding another prayer...that I would remember to look my husband and each of my children in the eye and smile at them every day.

What's so special about a smile? It's something I thought with Noelle as I waited (im)patiently for her first *real* smile...the one that was just for me. I thought I would know for sure at that moment that she loved me. I guess that may sound silly to some...but as I remember that moment, I remember I've felt like that with each of my children. That first smile was the time I knew that THEY knew that *I* was *Mommy*....and they were happy to see me. I want each member of my family to experience that every day.