That Moment...

I would have to say that this week has been such a breath of fresh air for me. Yeah, the weather where we live continues to be somewhat "crummy" outside the four walls of our home yet amazing things seem to be transforming inside. The things taking place are nothing short of God's grace and goodness which makes them all the more profound and rich and definitely something I don't take for granted.

As MaKayla, Mal and I continue to read through the 'Beautiful Girlhood' book chapter-by-chapter, morning-by-morning, I see the Lord taking the truths that are being read and ever so gently securing specific and well fertilized seeds deep within their hearts and within mine as well.

In one of the last posts that I wrote, I shared something to the effect that I wish I had picked up this book earlier and read through it with them sooner yet as I thought over the reality of that this morning the Lord reminded me, "For such a time as this." He spoke to my heart that this is what our girls need to hear now...for where they are. This is what our girls need to learn at this moment in time...for the individual season-of-life that they are in. He continues to amaze me at His divine providence.

This morning MaKayla was sitting here at the dining room/school table working on her American Lit paper. I had been sitting with Mallary on the couch finishing up a Science lesson and came over to the table to work on log books when MaKayla chuckled and said, "This is what I think of when I think of you. Every time I hear this song, I think of you." She handed over my mp3 player that she has been listening to lately while she whittles away at her school work and prompted me to plug the ear buds into my ears. I expected to hear something silly about how I talk too much or teach too many life lessons or something of the nature when this song below began to play and I began processing the words I was hearing...

My heart was overtaken...

Our sixteen-year-old actually thinks this of me...

She actually thinks these things about me...

Despite all my shortcomings and downfalls and mistakes and inadequacies and grouchy days, she thinks this of me...

I turned to her and said, "You really think this of me?"

Her response, "Well, yes."

"Seriously, you really do?"

"Yes, I do. Every time I hear this song and listen to the words, I think of you."

"I think that is one of the nicest, kindest, sweetest things anyone has ever said to me. You made my day. Thank you. Thank you."

The past several months have been tough ones for MaKayla as she has searched, sought and prayed to find who she is in Christ...not as an O'Riley, but as an individual. There have been days that I have been her closest friend yet on other days I feel as though I have taken on the role as her harshest enemy. Holding her accountable in love and being determined to teach her some of life's most difficult lessons. Breaking her will and compelling her to face some of life's most difficult questions. Not giving in to the temptation to enable her to remain in the realm of self-pity and challenging her to be determined and deliberate about living out and focusing on what she KNOWS not on how she feels. Drying lots of tears, sharing lots of chats, being a mom....a follow-hard-after-God mom...a mom who isn't going to let this attitude or that attitude slide by without finding out why...a mom who sees and cares about what is taking place in her girl's heart...a mom who is in-tune to how her girl is struggling and why that struggle is there...a mom who insists that her girl line life up with Scripture...a mom who presses in and won't allow her girl to settle for less than what God created her for...a mom who encourages her girl to live out her uniqueness and individuality...a mom who listens to how God is speaking to her girl's heart and then affirms her in working that out in her life...a mom who takes her girl by the hand and promises to stand beside her even in the hardest seasons of life...a mom who won't let it go when her girl wishes she would because she doesn't want to face it, talk about it, deal with it...

I guess that's one reason it was so special...

It was one of those moments that will forever be etched in my heart, mind and soul. No special occasion. Nor had I done anything spectacular to deserve the affirmation. I think that's another reason that moment was one of the most special moments in my 38 years of life. One of those not expected, undeserved, take-my-breath-away, warm-my-heart, I-can't-believe-you-actually-feel-that-way moments.

I love My Girl and My Girl loves Me!

I am thankful!

Words, words, words.
How come there's so many
but I can't find any?

Words, words.
How can I possibly say it perfectly,
all that you mean to me?

I don't wanna let another day
pass us by without a chance to say
thank you, thank you.
And I don't think you have a clue
for everyday you pull me through.
For all of the things that you do, thank you, thank you.

Love, love, love.
I don't always show it
but I hope you know it.
Love, love.
It's what I wish for you
in everything you do
'cause of all that you give me.
Yeah, yeah.

And I don't wanna let another day
pass us by without a chance to say
thank you, thank you.
And I don't think you have a clue
for everyday you pull me through.
For all of the things that you do, thank you, thank you.

I don't wanna let another day
pass us by without a chance to say
thank you, thank you.
And I don't think you have a clue
for everyday you pull me through.
For all of the things that you do, thank you, thank you.

Thank you.
Love, love, love.
I don't always show it, but I hope you know it.

(The song above plays on one of my beloved Jim Brickman albums that Kyle has downloaded onto my mp3 player.)


Thank you for being My Girl!
Thank you for loving me the way you do!