I need you like the desert needs the rain...

Yesterday and today have been beautiful days here in the desert.  Late last week and this past weekend it had been in the triple digits and for someone who once said I'd never complain about the heat, I must admit, I was.  It was too hot too early.  However, a cold front came in yesterday and the clouds filled our normal sunny Arizona sky. 

As I was driving to work yesterday after dropping the kids off at school, I was looking at the sky and for some reason the following lyrics from a song came into my mind..."I need you like the desert needs the rain."  And of course those words got me thinking about my kids..  As I looked at the brown that is all around us here in the desert, it is clear that we really do need the rain.  And then I looked at myself and realized these lyrics could apply to me in my life only exchanging the word rain with my kids.  I've come to realize that my life is complete and full of life because I'm so blessed to have them in my life.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I only need them, the reality is I needs a lot of people, especially my husband,my extended family and our friends.  I guess what I'm saying is that my life, my purpose in being here, is defined by those three little people. 

To think less than 2 years ago, I never would have imagined that Gabriel, Michael or Isabelle would come to be a part of my life story.  I always hoped there would be children and I deeply longed for them, but I can't say I knew just how important those three little people would be in helping to make my life complete. In being their mother and helping them with everything from the basic necessity of giving them food, to simple tasks of getting dressed and doing homework, my life has meaning because of them. 

I think for most people in their lives, making a difference, doing something good and leaving a lasting impression is important.   Some people do this on a grand scale, from being leaders of powerful countries, to doctors saving millions of people with medical advancements.  Many people however are making a difference on a daily basis and not even realizing they are doing it nor getting credit for it. I believe those people are parents. 

I've realized that the way I will hopefully make a difference in the world is through three little people that I love more than I ever knew one could love.  They fill me up with hope that the world can and will be a better place, they remind me that the daily stresses of work, finances and balancing a crazy hectic life, really aren't worth worrying about, and they give me motivation to keep trying to be the best mom I can be, even after they've blown the limit of my patience out of the water.  I never knew I needed them so much until I had them.

So today as Isabelle and I stood outside watching the rain pour down from the sky and celebrating her first rain storm, I sang to her the song that was in my mind since yesterday morning.  "I need you like the desert needs the rain." My hope is that my children will always know how much they mean and how much they are needed.

Until next time,
angie