One of the best benefits of being a mommy is receiving handmade projects that convey love from your children. Really nothing beats that…because kids create directly from their hearts…It’s #NoFilters defined.
Mother’s Day is the day that, if you’re lucky, you get flooded with creative messages expressing love…and hints. This year takes the cake!
My oldest child is blind and writes beautifully in Braille. This year’s list of things she loves to do with me was filled with variety: 
“I love you. I love playing trombone music with you. I like going on the Undertow (a crazy ride on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk) with you. I like making paper with you. You are an amazing mother.”
No need to analyze that one – just a simple expressing of the multitude of activities we love to do that bring her, and me, total joy.
My second child is the visual artist. She poured her heart into the artist cover in collage format and kept the sentiment within short and sweet, expressing happiness that she’s my daughter (like she has a choice, right?) As I reflect on her choice of words, they seem to be code for “I’m the middle kid who gets less time with you versus the baby boy and the older sister with a multitude of special needs. I cherish every minute.” Sigh…am I overthinking it? And yet, she concludes with anticipation, that many other adventures lie ahead…which is awesome. 
These next pages are from a little book my little boy in second grade made at school. My favorites:
– I love you more than Minecra
ft! (Now THAT is saying something!!)
– You are the best mother because you cook good soup! (Yes, I’m good at cutting veggies and throwing cooked chicken bits in a pot. I’ll claim that much.)
– I will help you…with your bissnes! [business!] (He’s my youngest book order fulfillment assistant, which is how he earns his “commission.” No “allowances” in this house!)
Lastly, the ice cream cone!! This sweet, colorful piece was also crafted by my little man. It smacked me in 
the heart, big time!
“Dear Mom, Being around you makes me feel sweet, except for when you’re angry.” (OUCH.)
Sometimes the brutal honesty coming from our kids is just what we need to make those necessary improvements, yes?
I have pinned the cone next to my bed. It’s truly a gift, a daily reminder when I wake up to try harder to not let the extreme stress of my life get conveyed through anger that lands on my little beloved kids. I am admitting right here that it is THE most difficult task assignment I face daily…truly one that I have apparently failed at repeatedly, judging by this message from my son.
I’m truly blessed with these children and their abilities to express themselves in such very different ways. I love that they are teaching me to continuously be a better person. That’s what this Mother’s Day was really about this year.
How about you? Did you receive any hints, I mean messages of love, this year? Want to share your own highlights? Please do!
Beautiful post! It’s heartwarming that you received these messages of love and chose to process them as hints to “continuously be a better person” (as opposed to dismissing them as “ellos que saben?” which is sometimes how messages from children are processed). Kudos to you for having such wonderfully expressive kiddos!