GETTING OLDER AND WISER
Dear Sisters,
I took a day off to spend time with my daughter Mikaeylla, who turned 17 today. We had a great birthday party for her on Friday night that started at 6pm and ended at midnight. My daughter and her best friends twins, Nikki and Vicki helped her plan it out and I must admit that I was quite impressed! She budgeted her money and with a little help from mom, managed to host her first party. I love to entertain and I was glad to see that she has watched me enough to do a great job and love doing it.
I watched from the sidelines and managed to get in a few dances with the kids when they played songs that I could keep up with them on. I had fun, and I liked it when some of her friends told her that she had a "cool mom!"
There was plenty of food and snacks, and for a moment I thought there would be a problem so I had prepared sandwiches and stowed away a couple bottles of punch, but they did not need my help. They never ran out of food before their guests after hours of dancing decided to collapse on the couch, floor and outside by our pond. Again, I was very impressed by their planning of the entire thing.
I also felt a little sadness while watching my daughter pull this off.
As many of you may know from reading a little on my website page, I adopted 5 out of my 7 children. I had guardianship of another child for the last two years, but she went back to live with her parents at last month. Mikaeylla, was adopted at the age of 7 and she was and still is very special to me.
I have done all that I could to instill confidence in her as well as other good qualities and characteristics. I have taught all of my children to have charity for all they come in contact with and to think for themselves and not be led around by those who are struggling themselves. I tell them that through adversity they must remember that this too shall pass, and that they must always have faith in themselves, because if they don't believe in themselves no one else will.
I have also been strict when it comes to my children and they usually resent my strictness, until they are older when they come up to me and thank them for watching over them the way that I did. I have taught them the love of reading and to always have the desire to learn.
Back to my sadness....when I saw how well Mikaeylla had everything put together in the playroom and how confident she was in preparing food, and the ease she felt around her guests, I was taken back momentarily in time when she first came home with me after flying to Seattle to help her start a new life. She was a timid girl back them and held on to my oldest daughter, Haley like a baby kitten. Haley did a wonderful job helping me to help Mikaeylla as well as her other two sisters adjust, and she fit right in to our family. She stayed strong even at an erly age, and I knew she was special.
I feel older when I watch her which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I am happy to have raised such a beautiful daughter. When I need help, she does all that she can to help out. and she has a sense of humor unmatched by anyone else in our family. She is loved and she knows it, and has never felt any different from Haley and Arielle who are biological children.
As I watch this young woman, I pray that I have set a good example for her. I hope that through the hard times our family has experienced...and believe me there have been many, that she has learned to never give up or give in. I hope that she has adopted my love of life and of God. I hope that she has the love of her fellowman/woman that I have tried to have. I hope that she has the courage to speak up when others won't and to always remember who she is and that she is strong, loved and has a lot to offer. I hope that when the time comes and she is on her own and out of the nest, that she will always know that she has a place to come if times get hard and she needs her parents.
I get older along with my children on their birthdays. The milestones they reach, also help me to look at my life and the life I have shared with them. My husband and I have done all that we could to provide a loving home, where love and family tradition reigned supreme. We never had a lot of money and we still don't. It has been by the grace of God and our desire to do good which has kept this family strong and together. It has been the confidence the children have had in us which keep us going even when it looked as if we wouldn't be able to provide another meal or buy clothing. We have come a long way in 17 years Mikaeylla and I. Eventhough she didn't become my daughter until she was 7, I feel as though she has been my baby the entire time. She has taught me much and I hope that I have done the same.
Tonight, I asked her if she was happy. She told me that she probably was the happiest girl on the face of the earth. She thanked her father and me for adopting her and her sisters. She thanked us for showing her the meaning of sacrifice, unconditional love, perserverance and endurance in tough times. She thanked us for providing a loving home and Christmas traditions as well as birthday traditions. She thanked us for all that she is and will become.
Needless to say when I held this child...this daughter in my arms, I felt that I had been given one of the best presents I could ever have hoped for, worth more than anything money could buy and a present that would last forever. I had been given a legacy and I knew that I had made a difference in her life.
Getting older and wiser....yes, sometimes when we look in the mirror and see lines we never noticed before, or when our hands are a little more wrinkled, or when we have a little stoop in our posture that wasn't there before, we have a tendency to worry, sigh and say that we are getting older. Isn't it beautiful when with that age comes the beauty of the lives we have lived, the stories we can tell and the echo of our pasts in our ears as we lie down to sleep. I embrace getting older, because I have the right tools to do it with. No, not makeup, facelifts, tummy tucks or things like that. I have children who are growing up to be fine adults and show me that they will be okay even when I am gone. What a reward...what a birthday present.
Good night!
Donna M. Butler
The Broke Wives' Club
I took a day off to spend time with my daughter Mikaeylla, who turned 17 today. We had a great birthday party for her on Friday night that started at 6pm and ended at midnight. My daughter and her best friends twins, Nikki and Vicki helped her plan it out and I must admit that I was quite impressed! She budgeted her money and with a little help from mom, managed to host her first party. I love to entertain and I was glad to see that she has watched me enough to do a great job and love doing it.
I watched from the sidelines and managed to get in a few dances with the kids when they played songs that I could keep up with them on. I had fun, and I liked it when some of her friends told her that she had a "cool mom!"
There was plenty of food and snacks, and for a moment I thought there would be a problem so I had prepared sandwiches and stowed away a couple bottles of punch, but they did not need my help. They never ran out of food before their guests after hours of dancing decided to collapse on the couch, floor and outside by our pond. Again, I was very impressed by their planning of the entire thing.
I also felt a little sadness while watching my daughter pull this off.
As many of you may know from reading a little on my website page, I adopted 5 out of my 7 children. I had guardianship of another child for the last two years, but she went back to live with her parents at last month. Mikaeylla, was adopted at the age of 7 and she was and still is very special to me.
I have done all that I could to instill confidence in her as well as other good qualities and characteristics. I have taught all of my children to have charity for all they come in contact with and to think for themselves and not be led around by those who are struggling themselves. I tell them that through adversity they must remember that this too shall pass, and that they must always have faith in themselves, because if they don't believe in themselves no one else will.
I have also been strict when it comes to my children and they usually resent my strictness, until they are older when they come up to me and thank them for watching over them the way that I did. I have taught them the love of reading and to always have the desire to learn.
Back to my sadness....when I saw how well Mikaeylla had everything put together in the playroom and how confident she was in preparing food, and the ease she felt around her guests, I was taken back momentarily in time when she first came home with me after flying to Seattle to help her start a new life. She was a timid girl back them and held on to my oldest daughter, Haley like a baby kitten. Haley did a wonderful job helping me to help Mikaeylla as well as her other two sisters adjust, and she fit right in to our family. She stayed strong even at an erly age, and I knew she was special.
I feel older when I watch her which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I am happy to have raised such a beautiful daughter. When I need help, she does all that she can to help out. and she has a sense of humor unmatched by anyone else in our family. She is loved and she knows it, and has never felt any different from Haley and Arielle who are biological children.
As I watch this young woman, I pray that I have set a good example for her. I hope that through the hard times our family has experienced...and believe me there have been many, that she has learned to never give up or give in. I hope that she has adopted my love of life and of God. I hope that she has the love of her fellowman/woman that I have tried to have. I hope that she has the courage to speak up when others won't and to always remember who she is and that she is strong, loved and has a lot to offer. I hope that when the time comes and she is on her own and out of the nest, that she will always know that she has a place to come if times get hard and she needs her parents.
I get older along with my children on their birthdays. The milestones they reach, also help me to look at my life and the life I have shared with them. My husband and I have done all that we could to provide a loving home, where love and family tradition reigned supreme. We never had a lot of money and we still don't. It has been by the grace of God and our desire to do good which has kept this family strong and together. It has been the confidence the children have had in us which keep us going even when it looked as if we wouldn't be able to provide another meal or buy clothing. We have come a long way in 17 years Mikaeylla and I. Eventhough she didn't become my daughter until she was 7, I feel as though she has been my baby the entire time. She has taught me much and I hope that I have done the same.
Tonight, I asked her if she was happy. She told me that she probably was the happiest girl on the face of the earth. She thanked her father and me for adopting her and her sisters. She thanked us for showing her the meaning of sacrifice, unconditional love, perserverance and endurance in tough times. She thanked us for providing a loving home and Christmas traditions as well as birthday traditions. She thanked us for all that she is and will become.
Needless to say when I held this child...this daughter in my arms, I felt that I had been given one of the best presents I could ever have hoped for, worth more than anything money could buy and a present that would last forever. I had been given a legacy and I knew that I had made a difference in her life.
Getting older and wiser....yes, sometimes when we look in the mirror and see lines we never noticed before, or when our hands are a little more wrinkled, or when we have a little stoop in our posture that wasn't there before, we have a tendency to worry, sigh and say that we are getting older. Isn't it beautiful when with that age comes the beauty of the lives we have lived, the stories we can tell and the echo of our pasts in our ears as we lie down to sleep. I embrace getting older, because I have the right tools to do it with. No, not makeup, facelifts, tummy tucks or things like that. I have children who are growing up to be fine adults and show me that they will be okay even when I am gone. What a reward...what a birthday present.
Good night!
Donna M. Butler
The Broke Wives' Club
Posted by BrokeWife at 9/6/2009 7:16 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: love traditions wisdom age birthday family children guidance
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: love traditions wisdom age birthday family children guidance
Children, family and friends are such a blessing. Yesterday we threw a 50th wedding anniversary party for my parents. All the guests made sure they could be there. My 3 children all participated in the production from the music play lists from the 50's (even though my teenager wasn't thrilled with the choices he did bare the songs throughout the day), the decorations, the posters of 1959 trivia and mementos from their wedding, the set up and the baking. I looked at my parent's wedding album, they married at 20 and 22, and had 4 children by the time they were 26 and 28. We were raised with their values of God and family first. There were many times of financial scarcity and we always made it through without it being noticeable to us as children. It is a testament to my parents, their amazing commitment to each other staying together through 50 years of better and worse, their commitment to being there always for their friends and family and their unending belief in the goodness of God, that all the guests made sure they were there to acknowledge these 2 wonderful people. I can only hope we have done as fine a job as my parents and that my children and friends find their lives as blessed as we do. As my parents have always said, "Life IS what you make of it."
TheresaNY
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We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
- Kahlil Gibran
Donna,
You obviously have a clear understanding of what is truly important in life. The love and respect of our children and the abilty to appreciate all the gifts that life brings.
Great blog......thanks for giving me an opportunity to step back and relish all the good things in my life!
Cheers.....Dean
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What a beautiful reflection of your life. Thank you for sharing.
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As always Donna you make me cry but they are tears of joy. You're children are blessed to have such loving Mother. You write so, so beautifully. Thank you for being a pillar of strength. I am proud to call you my friend.
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