It's 8:41 p.m. and in exactly one hour, Cecily will be 12 years old. Twelve years ago tonight my life changed and it will never be the same again for as long as I live! As I reflect back on the past twelve years, many things make me smile and a lot of things make me cringe, because I have missed the mark in motherhood many times. God has taught me so much about His love for me through my role as a mother. It was when I entered that role that I think I truly understood at a level I never had before about God as my Heavenly Father.
I am so unbelievably proud of the young lady Cecily is becoming. I just about can't stand it! I have seen so many of my prayers for her come to fruition and it is just about more than one woman's heart can take.
We took her out to eat for her birthday to...
If you go there on your actual birthday, you get your meal free. In this economy, free is a very good thing. Our family loves Mexican food, so we knew she would enjoy it as well.
She had been very curious about her present. I think she thought she had it all figured out and when I came to the car with a small Bath and Body bag, I saw the disappointment on her face. We ordered our food and I could tell she was so anxious. She kept looking at that bag. I finally couldn't take it any longer.
What you need to understand about this huge grin on her face is that the bag was "ringing".
Yes...we gave her a cell phone.
There is a story behind that phone. It is something we have put off for some time now. Cecily has been asking for one because you know, "Mama (insert the biggest whiney voice you can imagine) I'm the only kid on the face of the Earth without a phone!!!!" We have put if off mainly because of trying to keep the monthly budget as trim as possible, but also because we have tried to be careful about feeding the materialism and "technology addiction" (my personal term for all the gadgets teenagers seem to be tied to) at a minimum in our home.
A few months ago when I was paying the bill for my cell phone online, I noticed an advertisement for a free phone with the addition of a line to my existing plan. I called customer service to inquire and found out that the free phone was just a very low end phone with no bells and whistles and that switching over to a family plan and adding a line for Cecily would not add that much to our bill. So, I called her dad and we decided we would give her the phone for her birthday.
On Black Friday, Mike and I went to the AT&T store to set it all up. In talking with the guy helping us, we found out that because they were a small store they didn't have the "free" phone and would have to order it. I was okay with that just as long as it was in time for a birthday on the 19th I told him. He went to the back and came out with a manager who walked with him over to the wall displaying all the phones. On their way over, I heard the guy helping us say to the manager, "It's going to be the free phone sooner or later anyway. Why don't we just go ahead and give it to them now?"
The manager of the store called us over to the "wall" and explained to us that because they did not have the phone that was advertised, they were offering us the Samsung Solstice, which was a higher end phone with a few more bells and whistles.
Now, you might be saying, "What's the big deal?" Well, the big deal to this mother who pays the bills every month and tries to balance everything and be as frugal as possible is this: I saw this as a little touch of God's grace and provision. I saw this as a good gift from Him. We would not have been able to walk in the store and purchase this particular phone for Cecily, but we were able to surprise her with a nicer phone that didn't cost us anything.
Cellphone...free...monthly plan...a few extra dollars...the smile on her face...PRICELESS!!! The girl was so excited she couldn't even finish her supper. She had to bring home a doggy bag!!!
(The three pieces of my heart walking around outside of my body, well one is crawling, but close to walking :) )
(That boy loves his big "tister", can you tell by the grin on his face?)
Oh yes Cecily, I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be! I'm honored that you call me "mommy".
Doing less and enjoying more,
Jennifer
1 comments:
What a sweet story, I'm glad it all worked out and your daughter had a wonderful birthday.
Post a Comment