Happy Birthday Jacey!

Jacey's birthday is always significant to me because it makes me think about how much my life has changed (for the better!) since becoming a mom.  I remember my pregnancy well.  It was my first year out of college.  I had my first job doing what I had wanted to do since I was 16 years old.  I liked feeling like I was helping people.  I learned a lot from my patients about hard work, persitence, and humility.  I became even more grateful for a healthy body that functioned properly.  I was making good friends in the workplace.  These friends, who were wonderful people, thought I was crazy when they found out I wasn't planning on coming back after maternity leave.  They gave me all of the reasons why that was a terrible idea... Was I forgetting that my husband was still a student, and we were going to be broke?  Having a gap in employment was going to look terrible on my resume if I ever decided to come back to work.  They were already short-staffed (this was probably the real reason!:), and my leaving meant they all had to work more until they found someone else.  None of those reasons mattered to me, but the one thing that did make me question my decision from time to time during my pregnancy was how much I truly loved my job.  I knew that I would stay home,  I had felt too many times that it was absolutely the right thing for me.  I just hoped that I would be happy to do it, and that I wouldn't miss my job after the newness of having a baby wore off.  I really wanted to want to stay home, but I felt very torn at times.  I remember praying that I would still want to stay home after she was born.  Nothing could have prepared me for the feeling I had when she (and my other two kids who have come since) was born.  I knew that I could quit my job without looking back.  I knew that my new job as a mom was much more significant that my job as PTA.  I knew I would learn much more from her than I did from my patients.  And I have never regretted that decision.

Happy Birthday Jacey.  Thanks for making me a mother 7 years ago.  You are such a good girl.  You are smart, hardworking, and so compassionate.  You are a good friend and great example to those around you.  You are so sensitive to others.  You have been such a good example to me on so many occasions:  the times that you wanted to invite the little boy from kindergarten who everyone was mean to over to play, the time you came home from school and cried because kids at recess were saying things that weren't true about a little girl in your class, the way you always ask me if we can go search for the dog on the "LOST DOG" poster on the telephone pole down the street,  and even the way you were worried about hurting your stuffed puppy's feelings when you got a new stuffed puppy for your birthday. (Just in case the toys really do come alive at night just like Toy Story).  I know those qualities will always help you be a good friend to others.  We will always be grateful that you are ours to keep!