Not only did it start raining (yet AGAIN) soon after the kids left for school, but their grandpa is in the hospital and the doctors can’t quite figure out what’s wrong with him. Worst of all, my dear friend miscarried her baby boy yesterday. I don’t want to go into detail because it’s not my story to tell, but suffice it to say, this is a big blow for their family, who lost a son almost 3 years ago. My heart aches for them.

Today’s mail, which I got this afternoon after several days of forgetting, included two heart-lifting surprises, both of which probably arrived this weekend.

The first was a funny Mother’s Day card with a gift card to Bath & Body Works from my thoughtful friend, Mark, and his kids. I’m meant to use it to pamper myself. (Don’t you just love the word “pamper?” And don’t you love it even more when someone invites you to do so?) It just made my day.

The second was a Mother’s Day letter from Cody. The return address said, “Guess Who?” In carefully printed letters, it said,

“Dear Mom,

Happy Mother’s Day! I like when you plan my birthday party. I wouldn’t trade you for all the Spider-Man toys in the world. I like when we watch Spider-Man 3. I love you more than Spider-Man. You are very important to me.

Love,

Cody”

Now, if you knew how obsessed Cody is with Spider-Man, which is likely very obvious by the fact that he is mentioned three times in this letter, you would realize just how complimentary these words are. I was so touched.

Sometimes all it takes is a thoughtful gesture to lift your spirits. No one knows that better than the amazing friend I mentioned earlier, who despite her loss yesterday wished her friends a happy Mother’s Day and boasted that she received the biggest card from her daughter (3 ft. x 3 ft.!).

What little things are you grateful for today?

“Logan wants cake. Do we have any cake mix?” Andie asked me yesterday afternoon, after they’d all come in from playing outside in the snow. This was not a surprise as Logan is notorious for his sweet tooth, which is active pretty much 24/7. I helped them find it, then got down a few different cans of frosting for them to choose from. I did note that all four of them seemed to be involved in the process, which was a little strange, but still nothing connected in my brain.

When I told them later not to use the blue decorative frosting they had dug out of the depths of the cupboard because I wanted to save it for Logan’s birthday cake and Andie argued with me, asking if I couldn’t just buy some more, I still didn’t catch on, despite the fact that Andie hardly ever argues about something that minor. Even when they were frosting the cake and told me not to look at it, I figured they were just making it pretty for Valentine’s Day and didn’t want me to see it until it was finished.

So, I was taken completely off guard when they brought the cake to the table and I realized that it said, “Valentines Best Mom.”

I was moved, to say the least, especially because I was not particularly enjoying this Valentine’s Day. The little note stuck into the back with a toothpick said,

Dear Mom,
You are the best mom
in the world & deserve all
the love in the world. We
love you!! Cody, Logan, Rachel,
Andie

Trust my awesome and amazing kids to make this Valentine’s Day one of the best I’ve ever had.