Reflecting

Yesterday as I was driving my son's two friends home from the mall I realized just how charismatic and funny my boy is. He cracked great jokes and said all the right things. I didn't cringe once. It still baffles me sometimes that he's no longer a baby and almost all grown up. He's a good friend, funny, and wiser than I was at his age, and I'm beyond proud of him. At that moment I felt like I'd done a great job as a mom.
While we were in Hawaii I had a similar feeling. We drove out to the North shore and stumbled upon a two-way road that led us down to a semi-secluded beach framed by lush green mountains, sunshine, and fog. Of course, we got out of the rental car and started snapping pictures like crazy tourists, giggling at our great fortune like bandits, and marveling at this place that previously only existed for us on TV. It was like finding buried treasure, simply amazing. Waves rolling in, warm sunshine and sand between our toes, majestic green mountains behind us, and no place else to be :). We had "Christmas in Jamaica" by Toni Braxton on repeat in the car serving as our theme song. And on the way back down that road we sang along to "Snowflakes" (even though it was 80 degrees outside without a trace of snow in sight) and I was just overflowing with joy. That was definitely the bonding experience I had hoped for, and that moment, not so much the turtles or anything else we did, defined the trip for me. It was the sweet spot of that week and I'll never forget it. As I took in the sight, sound, and smell of it all, I thanked God repeatedly that I was able to share that with my son. I love him more than anything and want us to be as close as, if not closer than, I am with my mother. And me and her are like peas and carrots ;)