Lo in a nutshell...

Lo

The thing about being "shiny" is that at any moment you can have a hundred ideas float through your mind but not be able to hold onto a single one. In fact, since I have decided to really try to make a go of this blogging thing, I have been thinking daily about what I should post but keep forgetting to write down these brilliant ideas. So this morning, tea in hand, I sat down to write a post and then my mind went completely blank. This caused me to look over to the only person in the room, Lo, and ask "What should I blog about?" and she jokingly replied "Your amazingly fascinating daughter." Then she proceeded to give me some real examples of things I could write, but the original suggestion stuck (much to her dismay).

So Lo it is! Let me start by saying that I have two incredible children. "The Boy", who is almost 23 years old...wait a minute, 23, when did that happen? It seems like just yesterday he was this happy little monkey that climbed on to everything. Does this mean that I am old? Well never mind that...let's get back to the thought on hand..."The Boy", he works two jobs and goes to school, but I'll save the rest for another blog. And then there is Lo, sometimes called "George", that's another great thing about "shiny", my kids nicknames for every mood.  Lo currently has at least 25, if not more.

 

Lo is, at the time of this post, fifteen and a half years old and my constant companion these days.  Due to some health issues, I have stopped working for the meantime and she is doing independent study.  This means we are together daily, which for us is very cool.  Lo is incredibly smart and driven.  She is kind of a control freak but she has a heart of gold.  She is determined to always do her best at everything she tries. She is always up for an adventure and she shares my weird sense of humor. She is pretty awesome in my book.  I think the things I love about her most are her honesty, compassion, wit, and her visible love for the Lord.  She really is everything a mom could ask for in a daughter.

 

Now don't get me wrong, we have our moments when we get on each others nerves but those are easily and quickly remedied. In fact, my relationship with Lo is what I wish I had with everyone I know.  For example, sometimes when she has a lot on her mind and I ask a "serious, thought intensive" question, she may get short with her answer. The cool thing is that I can immediately say, "what's up with the snarkiness?" and she'll respond with an apology and whatever is really getting her down.  I allow her to do the same, if I am short. As a parent, no one likes to be called out on their behaviour but I feel that if it is something I correct her on then she should be able to let me know when I am being hypocritical. This works well because both of us realize that there is no need to get defensive and in the end, our love for each other doesn't change with our moods.

 

I have learned a lot about the "Love of God" because of her. She seeks Him out, she doesn't just tell people to read their bibles, she actually does it. She doesn't just say she'll pray for you, she prays every night and if you are on her prayer list, you stay there until circumstances change.  We actually pray together, because we truly believe what the bible says in Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” She is responsible for teaching me how to pray and BELIEVE that God will answer them. Before Lo, I think I prayed hoping that God would answer them, not believing that He actually would. On a side note, I have learned that God always answers my prayers, it's just sometimes His answer is different then what I want, but that is a post for another day.

 

I know that God made her for me and sent her to me. You see I believe that God sends people into our lives to help us grow and for support.  Having me for a mom is not an easy thing, not only am I ADHD but I also battle with depression, which means I am prone to "Eeyore Days".  She is empathic enough to notice when these days hit and she is extremely good at loving me through them. I am forgetful and will ask her things a million times and she is usually pretty good at responding... a million times. And she is always good for a laugh.  She is much more than simply funny, she is downright witty. She can come up with some real zingers (of course I can't think of one witty comment to share right now, because that would be too easy). It is because of Lo that I laugh every day, not a chuckle but an out loud unrestrained kind of laugh, which bodes well for my life motto "If you laugh every day, then life can't be that bad." I have a good life.

 

Well, that is Lo in a nutshell. You will most likely get to know her better through my posts as she is usually around. So you see she is "amazingly fascinating".

 

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After I read this to Lo (I don't like to embarrass her, so I ask her permission before I post about her), she laughed and said, "Haha, I was in a nutshell, because you're a nut (she points at me) and when I was in your womb, you could say I was in "chelle" so there you have it "Lo in a nut-chelle."  Seriously, she makes me laugh.

She also blogs occassionally, check it out at http://squirrelybear.blogspot.com/ 

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