Love the One You're With

Life has it's twists and turns, it's ups and downs.  

A few weeks ago was a rough time.  Yeah, I took more orders than I should have, worked more hours than I've worked in years, up past 1 AM most nights..  A direct result of not being where I want to be with my business, which has caused me stress and worry.  I messed up a batch of 300 chocolate chip cookies by leaving out 1 ingredient.  (I'm sticking to cakes from here on out.)  A customer came to pick up her cake and I hadn't even started it...I thought she was coming the following day.  A hopeful job opportunity for my husband started to look unpromising.  My unleashed dog imitated a ferocious Pitbull at the park and scared the bejesus out of a couple and their little Jack Russell, all while I ran in circles, trying to catch her, my kids watching.  I really think they believed my Golden Retriever (territorial, but harmless) was going to eat them alive, and I was feeling like a failure.

But the crazy thing was, in that week, all those things happened and I brushed them off my shoulder.  I even laughed about them (after cursing).  

They seemed so trivial in comparison to what my close friend was going through.  

We got the texts on a Sunday afternoon.  Her mom, young and vibrant, who had been battling cancer, was in the ICU.  In those moments, my friend never would have imagined they'd be the last ones spent with her mom.  

But, they were.

I have pondered the loss of a parent.  I watched my mom lose both of hers (both at a ripe old age, but still difficult, nonetheless).  I heard about how my dad and his sister lost their parents during their childhood.  It's a thought I can't even begin to process.  I depend on them so much.  I love them so much.  

It's times like these when you are left wondering the age old question, why do bad things happen to good people?  Why does my friend and her family have to experience this tremendous grief?  The only way I can begin to understand it is to have faith that God does have a plan.  We'll never know what it is or why.  Therefore we must live our lives with appreciation for all that we have. 

I always loved that song, "Love the One You're With" by Stephen Stills ("doo doo do do do doo do").  In times like these, I want this to be my theme song.   I like to stretch the meaning in my head.  Love the moment you're in.  Love the house you're in.  Love the job you have.  Love the people around you.  Love the life you're in.  Love the one you're with.  That one, be it a tangible thing, a state of being, a living and breathing person.

It's not always easy.  Believe me, I'm not always singing a happy tune.  But, I'm striving to stop and think about all the wonderful things I have each and everyday.  

I got a lot.

Every day I appreciate the time I have with these two.  Collier is all over the place, into everything.  Isabelle pushes her limits (when she's not pushing around her little brother).  A 3 year old and a 10 month old can be a handful.  It's busy, it's nonstop.  But I'm loving every minute. 

Isabelle takes his stuff.  He takes her stuff.  We're learning about the wonderful world of sibling sharing and rivalry.  As much as they might drive each other crazy, they also love each other more than I could imagine.  Nobody makes Collier laugh as much as she does.  And nobody makes Isabelle laugh as much as he does.  They want to be around each other constantly.  Yet, one makes the other cry on an hourly basis.

It's tricky and it's consuming, but it's also just plain awesome.  As a parent, watching your two kids navigate through life together is pretty cool.  And I know first hand, that having a sibling to grow up with and to grow old with seems essential.  My brother and I have a bond that nobody else can ever be a part of or truly understand. 

This reminds me that God had a plan when he gave my friend, Meg, 3 siblings.  They will lean on each other and support each other through this difficult time and through the many years ahead without their mom.  

Sometimes you love 'em, sometimes you hate 'em, but there's nothing quite like having a sibling!

Oh yeah, and there's Crockett too.

 I cry a little inside when I realize a day has gone by and my baby boy is getting older.  I can't believe he's turning 1 in just a few months.  He is as good as gold and as sweet as it gets.

Collier's favorite things: Crockett's dog bone and her water bowl.  Of course the dirtiest things in our house (I hope!).  I've practically given up trying to intervene.

Isabelle is back to her old dress-up antics.  Not a day goes by that she doesn't transform into a princess or fairy.  

I could just eat him up.

And her too.

 My prima ballerina got a hold of one of my old recital costumes.

She's always a big help in the bakement.  I think she might be ready to start designing her own wedding cakes in a few years!

My shining light.

My happy baby.  

God, I love these ones I'm with.

In memory of Sandra Eubanks, a lovely, generous Southern lady who always beamed with her beautiful smile.  She exemplified my "love the one you're with" motto.  She is now in heaven with her twin sister, the beloved sibling she couldn't be with during the second half of her life.  Sandra, pictured below, to the left of the most cherished moms in my life.