A Steel Magnolias Moment

Saturday night I had what I term a "Steel Magnolias moment" with 3 of my 5 daughters. I don't know why I am thinking of it as a such, since we really didn't resemble what I remember of the movie very much, except it was a gathering of women who shared moments in their lives. Never mind that the women in the movie weren't all related to each other as my daughters and I, but I think it was more because we sat around dd2's dining room table and talked for about an hour as we waited for dd3's dh to pick her up. We talked about a variety of topics, from events during childhood to events as adults, politics, why we like or dislike Hilary or Obama or McCain, among other things.

DD3 is expecting baby 6 next month. She is the mother of 5 active little boys, ages 5 to 11. The new baby is reported to be a girl, which has all of us excited as there are only 3 granddaughters, against 7 grandsons. DD3 and her family live out of town, but came into town Saturday to do a little shopping, and consequently DD2 decided a baby shower was in order. She invited mostly family, but also invited a couple of friends from dd3's teen years who saw her through some of those typical teen-aged angst-moments. We all arrived around 6 p.m. Saturday evening. DSIL took their 3 kids off somewhere, leaving us women to enjoy an evening together, those of us who have had babies reminiscing about those wonderful moments of motherhood. And the fact that this shower took place the evening before Mothers Day was special, too.

The shower part was fun. Lots of visiting, remembering dd3 and her youth, remembering what mothering was like in years gone by and how things were different nowadays. Catching up on what was going on in our families, typical women-type talk. The two friends of dd3, plus dsis-in-law and dd's4 & 5 left shortly after the fun activities and present-opening ended. That left myself and the 3 older dd's still there. DD3's hubby was supposed to pick her up at 8, but was late, so we sat around the dining table and talked and talked and talked. It gave me a greater appreciation for my daughters and who they are. They are all great mothers, and great women. I'm proud to be somewhat responsible for bringing them into the world, for raising them to be who they have become. They were wonderful as children, and have become even moreso as adults.

It was a wonderful prelude to a wonderful Mothers Day.
Code: DD = dear daughter, the number following "dd" is their birth order.