remembering the little things

I spent over six hours today with my one and only daughter. Each time I am able to take a long chunk of time with her, she becomes more precious to me.

We sat in a restaurant sharing our favorite mid-day snack...nachos. We love trying them in various places and then talking about why one restaurant may do a better job with the chips, or salsa, or presentation. We always share and we always come away saying that is truly the best peace in my belly than anything.

Sometimes we sit in quiet, both deep in our world of private thoughts. We often blurt out the very same thought at the precise exact moment and then laugh that we embrace the same kinds of things and this is why we have this connection. One time just for the sake of "too weird" I said okay on the count of three we blurt out any state in the US. 1-2-3 we both blurted out Delaware. NO KIDDING. Of 52 states we chose the same one.

Today I looked across the table and I had this scene from Father of the Bride pop into my head. Steve Martin's movie daughter is telling him about her dreams and marriage, and all he sees is this little pig-tailed girl. Not his young adult daughter. There Emily sat sharing her dreams, her heart and I asked myself how this all went so fast. Am I going to remember the little things we share for the rest of my life. How she always has a pony tail holder on her wrist and within seconds has her hair in a beautiful messy bun. How she, like her mother, always eats just the topping off of a pizza. She is so graceful in her manner, so deep, so smart. She is gifted musically and academically and I think how did she grow up so fast. And her laugh. They way she throws her head back and her eyes twinkle like an angel. And I quietly thank God and pray we will always be this good of friends.

She is graduating and going off to college and I know I will be seeking out the wisdom of mommy's who's daughters go off into a new season without us. Because the reality has been for 18 years that it's about us as mothers. Elliot has helped tender that way. Before Elliot went away to school it was the three of us doing the long afternoons together, and with him gone it brought Emily and I together in much more intimate way. I want to remember, always, the little things. Our friendship has not evolved over big events. It's been the little things that get us laughing so hard that people will look around a corner to just a glimpse of what may be going.

Today I hid under the laundry pile on her bed. As I lay there running out of oxygen I thought....how many 42 year olds hide under blankets to scare someone? I could hear her walking into her room and did the jump and boo and I did scare her, and we just laughed. I am blessed. I will say that every single day of my life and then I will thank God for choosing me to parent Emily.