With very few exceptions, my mother woke me up each morning of my childhood. In fact, she woke me up on my wedding day. Yes, I had an alarm clock. Yes, I knew how to use it. But, it was so much nicer to wake up to my Momma. She would sit beside me on the bed, her body tugging my covers just a little more snugly around me. Then she would tickle my bare arm with her long, long fingernails and sing to me. Yes, I said sing to me. My childhood days, each of them, began with affection and a song.
That tiny story tells a lot about my mother. About my childhood.
As you can see, when I became a mother I had a lot to live up to. A whole lot. I wanted to wake my daughter each day with singing. What a gift. In a lifetime of love, beginning each morning with a song is no small thing.
Isn't it amazing how frequently our intentions are hijacked by reality? My baby is an early-riser. I am a night-owl. A serious one. Example: it is 12:18 a.m. as I type these words. My baby informed me, at the age of five and a half, mind you, that she would really like to have an alarm clock of her own. She was big enough to wake herself up. Turns out, she was.
I've said it before, when life turns out differently than you've planned you have two choices. You can pout and be miserable. Or, you can adjust and be happy. I choose happy.
So. I don't wake Sloane up most mornings. But, the second I see her, I exclaim, "Good morning, Beautiful!" and grab her for a snuggle or a hug and always, always a great big smooch. When I do get to wake her up, guess how I do it. Yup. I sit down on her bed, my body pulling her covers tight. I massage her scalp or caress her face, and I sing to her.
Good morning, Beautiful.
All images by the amazing Honeypie Living.
42 comments:
Sweet story. I can tell you are an awesome mom (and person).
Love this story. I have two daughters, one who is often up before me, the other, like you, I waken each day. Those morning moments are a gift, really.
Beautiful story, Relyn. It speaks of a happy childhood and a mother to admire. My kids are grown but every morning when they are staying with me, the greeting is always "Hello, Gorgeous". If they are cranky, it puts a smile on their face. You are building a beautiful memory for your daughter..a testament to a good mother!
oh my gosh....this is just the sweetest story ever told perfectly !
I guess I'm like your daughter...and honestly, i don't ever remember my mother waking me up.
and with my kids...they're alarm kids, too
so much for sweet arm rubbing and singing in this house !
I love that your mom did that, and that you are adjusting/modifying to your own life. No better way to greet the day than by being told you are beautiful!! (And I don't care what age you are!)
This moved me deeply Relyn! When I was little my mom would always gently awake us. Not with a song, but with true love in her voice none the less. At bedtime there was ALWAYS kisses and I Love You's. I do the same with my daughter at bedtime.
I loved reading this. Made me feel very warm inside. :)
What a wonderful wake up call and a beautiful tradition to carry on with your own children.
Love these two stories. You are living a wonderful dream.
This tale exudes love all over. I had so much joy reading it. Many, many thanks.
Greetings from London.
Sweet entry.
Thank you for sharing it with us.
Aunt Amelia
We always have choices! We can choose to be happy or not. Yesterday I had big fun plans...but things got in the way that threw everything out the window. I had a choice... I choose happy. Who needs to stew in misery?
Beautiful post! My mom used to slide her long fingernails across the backs of our ears to put us to sleep (like you do when you put your hair behind your ears). So when my niece and nephew were young, I made that part of a ritual. Even in their teens, they still ask me to come in at bedtime to do it. Isn't it sweet to pass on the lovely things from our mothers! Thanks for sharing this!
Happy weekend!
Kirsten
You truly are the sweetest, warmest mama around. I'm an early morning girl as well so I'm in company with Sloane. And my papa...he told me I'm a special girl every morning when I woke up at the crack of dawn.
What a sweet mother you are, and so wise. Motherhood is as much 'adapt and survive' as much as every other area of our lives. In 20 years your daughter will be blogging about how her sweet mama greeted her every morning with 'hello beautiful' and how much that meant to her. x
you are there just as your mother was, just different times...that is OK
you have the spirit of your mother. how very sweet that you do this.
What a lovely memory. You are creating more memories for your daughter by the way you greet her each morning. My mom would wiggle my toe then jump back as I didn't like being wakened and would sometimes kick. Not very nice, but that was our wake up tradition.
Love your little "wake up" story Relyn!
xox
dulcy
oh this is so sweet...!
your mom is truly lovely and so are you with little Sloane and i can just imagine, she will be the same with her own babies, one day...
Much love to you Relyn
xoxo
(i also wanted to thank you for all your lovely comments and in answer to your question about taking pics, i've never been told off when taking photos in public places in Granada, except one store, otherwise people are just really cool here!)
btw
how about having the followers widget?
:-)
How beautiful and precious is all that you share
Love Jeanne ♥
That is a beautiful story of a wonderful mom. i wake my kids up with a snuggle but do sing to them at bedtime.
Such sweet thoughts and reminiscences.... :o)
What beautiful memories of waking up to greet life again. My mom used to say, "rise and shine!"
Relyn~ What a sweet story! What a lucky girl you were and then passing that on to Sloane- she is lucky indeed! Molly is usually grumpy in the morning but I still try to be cheerful and tell her she looks pretty even when I get the eye roll. Oh well!
the 'love' between your mother and you is really infectious. i can feel it through your writings.
it's beautiful.
your story reminds me of my mother at home. she has a unique way of showing affection - through food. always bring tears of laughter as i think of her when i am away =)
Oh my. I cannot even imagine being awakened witha song each morning, but how perfectly, perfectly wonderful. And I love the fact that your daughter is who she is, thank you, ma'am, no singing necessary. Love it. (I am smiling at that, and also at the picture of little Relyn, and thinking how old I am. 1972. The year I graduated from high school.)
:) Debi
what a beautiful tender post. You take after your own mother in her tenderness - just maybe in slightly different ways. Sloan is so very lucky to have a mother like you.
My mom used to wake me up with a gentle tickle too and then open the curtains and sing, "this is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it".
oh my, oh my! what a fabulously dreamy post.
and that second photo? just perfect!
how lovely to continue this little ritual with your children.
Nice to meet you and thanks for stopping bye and leaving such lovely comments.
you made my day : )
jeska
Beautiful memories...
And I love the way you greet your class kiddos too! You are a great greeter ~ always have been!
Love ya, Katie
Oh, I see you spell mother like "Momma". We use "Moma" in our family and have it printed like this on our birthday cakes. The baker always looks at us so funny, but that is how we pronounce it, so that is how we want to spell it.
Beautiful story.
Oh, Relyn, how beautiful.
What a great legacy. I love that feeling of sheets tucked snugly around me, like a receiving blanket.
You are blessed and so is Sloane and so will be her daughter.
Such a warm memory and how lovely that you share this now with yours...doesn't get any sweeter than this.
beautiful. just beautiful. you are a wonderful mama. :)
this is so beautiful. happy tears. happy, affectionate tears
Great outlook. I wake my daughter up each morning because she's a night owl. If I don't, she'll sleep the day away and forget about school. :)
Lovely memories.
What a lovely story. You made my night!
-xo
Good morning Beautiful you,
As I emerge from my cocoon on this beautiful summer day, it is your (heart's) fire I thought I'd come sit by for a spell.
How fortunate, how blessed you are to have had a mother who did such an incredible thing for you morning, after morning, after morning.
You have just made my morning, and you have been hugely missed :)
xoxoxo
It's always a bit of a surprise when our plans and their reality don't mesh, so good that you can trust them to make their own decisions, and truly enjoy it.
My son still comes in to snuggle with us in the mornings though the snuggles are getting briefer with the passage of time. I will just savour these precious moments, and enjoy them while I can..
xo
S
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