the gifts I'll always remember

All of the moms were invited to Miller's class this morning to enjoy a little breakfast of homemade muffins that the kids had baked themselves. I'd found out about the breakfast on Monday, and quickly emailed my client to see if I could change the time of our session so I'd be able to attend. Miller was crushed when I told him I may not be able to make it. "But we made you something special." Yes, those words were enough to break a mommy's heart. My client agreed to push her session back by 45 minutes.... crisis averted.

Each kid had made a card, and inside of mine he had written "I like it when you're nice to me." I read it, and Miller said in his loudest voice in front of all of the moms, "Yeah, I like it when you're nice to me and not yelling at me." I shouldn't find that story that funny, but I do. He's been going through a little, uh, phase lately. Mark and I are ready for this particular phase to be over.

While we were getting ready for the kids to sing to us, I noticed one of the moms come into the room. She was having a hard time walking, and was accompanied by two other women. As soon as she got into the room, she had to sit down. The last time I'd seen her was about 3 months ago... a healthy, vibrant woman. As she sat in the chair, she struggled to read aloud the card her son - a friend of Miller's - had made for her. She was about 40 or 50 pounds thinner than I'd seen her just a few months ago when she was hosting her son's super spy birthday party. She was frail, her once tall frame now bent. Whatever had overtaken her body was cruel and unforgiving.

I hadn't even made it out of the school before I started to cry. I barely knew this woman, but it hit me so hard. Maybe this would be the last year she'd get a Mother's Day card. Life is so short. Suddenly a misbehaving 7 year old who was embarrassed by his mom didn't seem like such a big deal.

After my shoot, I picked up Gray from preschool and he couldn't wait to empty his bag to show me what was inside. All of the moms had been asked to come in prior to Mother's Day and have their handprints made. On top of my handprints, Gray's handprints were placed. His hands - while huge for a 3 year old - were still so small compared to mine. "That's Happy Mother's Day!" he said while pointing to his surprise.

I remember as a kid making my mom cards and gifts for Mother's Day, thinking they weren't nearly as great as something really nice I could have bought for her instead. And now, as a mother, I know that nothing is ever as precious as something your child had a hand in making. Miller's card and Gray's handprints are on their way to the keepsakes box. I can just see myself years from now, pulling them out and smiling. Reminders of their littleness, and how fast life goes by.