My First Mothers Day

Benny and Olivia did a wonderful job planning and fulfilling my hopes and dreams for my first Mothers Day. Olivia did her part by sleeping in, so I didn't get up on Sunday until 7 a.m. What a blessing.

I awoke from my slumber to find a happy baby, the above card, a vase of flowers (sunflowers, birds of paradise and lilies) and Benny making me breakfast. The cards (one came with the flowers too) were so sweet, but it was strange to read "from Dad and Olivia." I'm still adjusting to the realization that I'm a mother.

We followed breakfast with our usual Sunday routine, church service at 8:30 a.m. Again, it was strange to hear people say "Happy Mothers Day" to me. To me. That's something that should be said to my mother or Benny's mom, but not me. Again, I'm slow when it comes to accepting life changes.



Then we drove to White Beach, it's a Navy base on the east side of the island that Benny goes to for work, but I've rarely been to. I think I've been there twice in the year we have lived here.

The weather was sunny and warm. A nice Okinawa day. Not humid and not too hot. There was a cool breeze off the Pacific Ocean. We only have a few of these wonderful summer days left before it turns blister hot, so we needed to spend it outside.

We ate a relaxing lunch at the restaurant and again Olivia played her part perfectly by napping during the meal. She never does this, by the way. But down at the beach, she wanted to eat the entire time, so I didn't get to read my book in the shade as planned.

But I did get to see this smiling face looking at me the whole time.



That's when I felt like a mom.