Awesome

Jersey #2 gave me the coolest compliment.

She said, "Thanks for helping me get back to awesome again!"

For me, this was a motherhood medal of honor.

It really feels good to know that I have helped my child in such a big way.

I told Jersey #2 that this was the job of a Mother--to help her children return to awesome after they have had a rough time.

The back story is that the night before, Jersey #2 was in a pretty emotional, moody state.  She cried and cried as she explained to me just how difficult she viewed her life at that moment. 

I listened.  I tried to comfort her.  I tried to encourage her.

We talked about some of the topics that were on her mind.  It seems to work well for me to have these times of listening and encouraging, especially when my daughters are emotional.  I guess I just did not realize that the tween years have such drama and moodiness to them.  

Plus, I realize my children are grieving too.  They will each grieve in their own way, based on their age and stage of development.  Each one has to process the death of their brother, the sadness of their Mom, and the absence of their Daddy in our home.  

I also explained to her that sometimes our emotions fool us into believing life is much harder than it really is.  Crying is a natural response.  It is the way the body releases emotional stress and relaxes itself.  I told her sometimes you just need a good cry.  I let her know that things may look pretty sad that night, but things will look much brighter and more manageable in the morning, especially after a good cry and a good night's sleep.  

After a long talk, a good cry, and big hugs, I tucked her into bed and let her know that she was tough, and tomorrow was a new day.

Sure enough, she woke up in brighter spirits and no more tears.  She even made a comment to me that things did look better in the morning.  She wondered how I knew.

After a big day of fun in the sun and all kinds of activities, she was packing up to go spend time with her Dad.  As she got ready to leave, she turned to me and said, "Thanks for everything, Mom."

At first, this made The Referee and I chuckle.  It was such an odd comment, and really out of place for that moment.

Then, Jersey #2 explained that she was feeling better about life again, and appreciated our talk the night before.  It was sweet that she took the time to thank me like that.

I think it is cool that she sees herself as awesome.  I like her viewpoint that when she is feeling better, she has returned to awesome again.  

I have been thinking about her description all night, and how that perspective is helpful in my own  recent emotional state.

I would like to get back to awesome again too.