The Three I Call My Own.

Life is hectic. 

Life is crazy.

But every once in a while in the chaos that we call life in the Barnes household something will cause me to pause.  I think that something is Someone.  I think it is God.  And at that moment I am amazed that these three are mine.  I've been here the whole time, but sometimes I stand and wonder how I got here.  How and when I became the mother, nurturer, caretaker of these three amazing people.

Elizabeth.

Intelligent. Caring. Outgoing.  

I see parts of me in her. We share a love of the written word.  We are both resistant to change. But I see so much more in her.  I see in her so many things that I would like to be. She can be so very patient with her little brother. She is thoughtful, and thinks of other. She has an intense focus on whatever she is working on at the moment... a book, a game, a puzzle.  She isn't easily distracted. That is something I struggle with every day.

Molly.

Beautiful. Graceful. Loving. Artistic.

My middle child.  The one I butt heads with more. Maybe that is because we are alike in many ways. Stubborn. Dramatic. Yes, Molly may have inherited some of my worst qualities. She is harder on herself than she should be (something else we share), and is her worst critic.

But there is so much in Molly that I can learn. She stands up for herself.  I have heard this recently from her teacher. She doesn't succomb to peer-pressure. She is prayerful.  At 7-years-old she says some of the most beautiful, thoughtful, heartfelt prayers I have ever heard. She cares for others and takes time to do thing for others to show them that she cares. 

Stewart.

Imaginative. Adventuresome. Sweetheart.

He fills my days with joy.  His imagination is amazing. Even his sisters think it is remarkable. If I could have but a small portion of his imagination I could do amazing things. He is a lover. He shares hugs with everyone he sees.  He loves life and finds fun in everything. I need more of that.

These three.

 I am the one that is supposed to teach them, but I seem to be the one that has so much to learn from them.