As a bonus-mom there are many luxuries of mother hood that you don’t get to enjoy. You don’t get to hear someone call you mom. You don’t get to have the beauty of the memory of their birth, or their first steps, or first words. You don’t get to live in relationship from a place of unconditional love. Oh, no…you have to work at that as hard as you’ve ever worked at anything. By learning when to press in and when to pull back and when to simply let the little birds pick at the seed in your hand expecting nothing in return. You have to learn when to speak and when to be quiet. You have to learn what to let dad handle and what you can and should handle. And you try desperately to not let the things that wound you become scars that define you in order to keep your heart open. And you have to learn to love and love and then love all over again.

So anytime there is a moment that is what I call a “mom-moment.” You don’t just take it in and thank God for it and treasure it and replay it over and over again, but you write it down. So on the days when mom-moments are virtually non-existent you can remind yourself that they aren’t a complete mirage. They have happened, which affords the possibility that they can happen again.

It was the cheer exhibition. The first cheer competition was just a few weeks away. So the parents were getting a sneak peek. We were holding our last week of Bible Study so I was hoping desperately that our daughter would perform before I had to leave to go teach. Philly and I drove separately since I may have to leave early. She was slated to perform last. So, having had a fingernail polish fiasco on my way, I made a pit stop into Walgreens knowing I’d have more time on the front end then the back in.

That was when I got the text. “She’s performing first!”

I was more than ten minutes away. I was sure I wouldn’t make it. But I wanted to. So bad. I thought about just forgetting it. But decided I’d at least make my way there and if she was through before I got there then I would know I had done all I could do. I drove fast. Not really anything knew. So, I’ll be honest. I drove faster. As I was pulling into the parking lot Philly texted. “Where are you. They are introducing them.”

“In the parking lot.”

“Hurry!”

I made it just in time and she was looking for me. For me! And when she saw me that big old smile shot across her face and her hand flew up and she waved. Hard.

It was my mom moment.

That moment when of all the people in the room that are there the child only cares about two. Their mom and dad. Today she cared about her bonus-mom too.

After she performed I gave her a big old hug. Told her how wonderful she did and Philly and I sneaked out in time to get to Bible study.

“She was really concerned you wouldn’t make it in time.”

“Really?” I asked.

“YEah, she kept seeing where is Denise? Will she make it?”

“OH, babe, I’m so glad I made it.”

There are some moments in life that do things to the soul of us that nothing else can. I feel this way too when God does something that let’s me know that nothing means more to Him than the fact that I’m His and He’s mine. It is those moments in life we were created for. It is those mom-moments if you will that make life worth living. I wish you many along your journey. And I pray with each one the smiles will be big. And the waves will be hard.