Don't Cry Because It's Over, Smile Because it Happened

I love the quote above and find it a fitting title for my End of the School Year Blog. At the end of each school year, I find myself stopping to ponder another year being "over". And yes, as sappy as I am, I am a bit sad, well maybe a lot. But at the same time I'm happy. I love that I get to be "out of the routine" and that I can spend more time with the girls (we'll see how long that will last once they start bickering. LOL ) and that I can look and see how much my girls have grown in those few short months.
I am what you would call a pretty active mother and as my OBGYN says, "I'm going to be one of those mom's who does not know what to do with herself when her kids are grown." I'm sure I'll be like a little lost puppy looking for its own mother. Let's just say, I'm pretty involved in my girls life and I like it that way.
I find myself being sad because as each year goes by, my own girls get a little older and a lot more self reliant. I'm sure there will come a day when they won't want me to hold their hand as we walk into school much less give them a kiss as they walk off to class. Mike's mom sent me another quote for Mother's Day, that I found great meaning in, it says: "A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.-D.C. Fisher".
As I ponder the school year ending, I also find sadness leaving the other children I have bonded with. I love walking down the halls of the school and hearing the children say, "hi Mrs. Odom, or for those in Mrs. Payne's class, hi, Mrs. Andrea." Or the best part, a child running up and giving me the biggest hug imaginable. You can't but help feel loved. I've formed a bond with many of these children and yes, I know many will be back next year, but some won't. And then there's those who seem to have a whole Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde experience over the summer and come back as someone you barely recognize.
But, let me get back to the title of my blog. I could sit around and cry about it being the end (but then again, is it really--or did this just lead to another beginning?). However, I would like to take a whole new approach and smile because it happened. For those are all memories that I can take with me for the rest of my life. Memories of my girls growing wiser and older; and knowing that the experiences over the past year are helping them to grow into great young women who are capable of great things. And knowing that the experiences of the past year have helped me come a little closer to reaching one of my greatest desires as a mother--having my two girls to grow up loving the Lord with all their heart and being kind. You have to admit, that definitely is something worth smiling about.