Last night I was in the kitchen cooking dinner when Charlie came down. I could tell he was bored and antsy because he was was walking around the kitchen man cave used to be dinning room. Not doing anything but pacing. I let him walk as I got the items out I needed for dinner.

I stopped to open the meat when Charlie noticed I had painted my nails. This led to unexpected time with Charlie which turned into a grateful moment that started with something so small I didn’t even recognize it for what was, Other than a moment from the past which would have happened with Suzzane if she had been here but was shared with Charlie.

The other day, David and I were shopping at Family Dollar and I purchased nail polish for a article on the website which I’m praying and believing will lead to a new niche. Last night I was walking through the house with my thumbs painted. One purple and one pink. I really didn’t think much about my nails as I had almost forgotten I had painted them until I would notice them while working.

Now, for the fun part. Charlie noticed. “Mom, why are your nails painted?” I told him I didn’t really have a reason. I just thought it would be fun. Then he said, “Mom, I’ll paint your nails.” And that stopped me for a minute. I could see David doing it for me but I didn’t think Charlie would paint my nails because he hadn’t done it since he was a little boy.

Last night, he sad mom where do you want me to paint your nails at. I said we can use my table by my bed. I sat down and Charlie painted them for me. He told me, “We’ll use the pink, for you Mom and I’ll use the lavender.” He put on one coat, and they looked really good. Later that night, he came back and gave them another coat.

And while he was doing it, I realized something. These are the moments when you learn things about your children that you never knew before. I’ve experienced this before. Now, before I go on with the story Buttercup because I know your going to want to know. Charlie hasn’t painted his yet, but he has the nail polish in his room waiting for him to use it. I can’t wait to see David’s face once he finishes.

When Charlie was in Hobart, Oklahoma, Charlie said, Makayla painted my nails. Then I painted hers and even painted her toes. It was just something we did together. I’m sure Charlie didn’t realize how much those little moments would mean later to Mikalya as they are memories she will have forever.

And now, here I was with Charlie. I never thought Charlie would paint his nails. But that’s the thing about our children. Sometimes we think we know them. We know their personalities, their likes and dislikes, the things they enjoy, the things they don’t care about. But there are still pieces of them we haven’t discovered yet.

Sometimes they just have to be ready to show us. And I think that’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned as a mom. You don’t always have to push. Sometimes you just have to step back. Take five minutes. Sit down. Be there. Let them talk when they’re ready to talk.

You don’t have to interrogate them. You don’t have to ask a hundred questions. You don’t have to say, “Tell me what’s going on.” Sometimes you just paint their nails. Sometimes you sit beside them. Sometimes you ride in the car together. Sometimes you do absolutely nothing special at all. And then, when they’re ready, they start talking.

Yesterday, that’s what happened. Charlie started telling me things. I learned things about my son that I didn’t know because he chose to tell me. I didn’t force the conversation. I didn’t have to pull it out of him. I simply had to be there long enough for him to be ready to share. And that, to me, is a blessing.

Because the older our children get, the more important those little moments become. They’re not little anymore. Charlie is grown. He’s building his own life, figuring out who he is, and becoming his own person. And yet, he still sat down with his mom and painted her fingernails.

He even told me which color I should wear. Pink for Mom. Lavender for him. And somehow, two little colors of nail polish became another family memory. It also brought Suzanne to my mind. I had originally painted my nails partly for fun, partly because I had a beauty-related opportunity come up, and partly as another little way of remembering Suzanne.

I never expected that something I did in her memory would turn into a new memory with her brother. But that’s how life works sometimes. Grateful takes from a blessing. One moment leads to another. One memory connects to another. The circle stays unbroken.

We carry the people and memories we love with us while continuing to make new memories with the family we have today. And now Charlie and I have another adventure planned. Later this week, after David gets paid, we’re going to head to North East Mall to look for some black fingernail polish.

Yes, we’re really doing this. And you can bet your bottom dollar that if there’s an America’s Best CookieI’m getting myself a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie with coconut in it. Whether Charlie gets one or not! If he doesn’t, I guess I’ll take him to Chick-fil-A. Heck, we might even have dinner there.

Who knows? That’s the fun part. These are the moments I want to remember. Because I’m one poor person, and Charlie is one poor person, so we’re probably going to have to borrow adventure money from David. And I’m grateful for that, too. I’m grateful, thankful, and blessed to have a husband who funds our crazy adventures, doesn’t fuss about them, and 99% of the time goes along with us.

That’s another blessing. So maybe this wasn’t really about nail polish at all. Maybe it was about taking five minutes. Maybe it was about being present. Maybe it was about giving my son room to talk when he was ready. Maybe it was about discovering something new about the boy who isn’t really a boy anymore. Maybe it was about remembering a daughter who will always be part of our family. And maybe it was about creating one more memory that I can carry with me.

Grateful takes from a blessing. This is what keeps the circle unbroken—carrying the memories we already have while continuing to create new memories with our family. And sometimes, all it takes is five minutes. A little nail polish. And being there.

GreatfulMoments.com

Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates