By:  Jana Greene

I didn’t mean to keep them all to myself, honest.

There were two of them, and then later, three….and they brought so much joy into my life.  Well, you see…I sometimes I forget that they are ultimately yours.

You trusted me enough to care for them, and I have taken good (but not perfect) care of them.  Being one-of-a-kind, each of them were fussed over and coddled, adored and applauded.  I made a lot of mistakes.   You knew I would make mistakes with them, but you trusted me anyway.

Remember how I asked you for them before they arrived?  I wanted my own long before you lent them to me.  I guess I lost sight of whose they really are when I started making long-term plans for them.  It’s easy to do, when you love them so much.  

Sometimes, even now, I can’t believe you just handed them to me like that; priceless treasures, but you did.  They are really beautiful, by the way.  Thanks for sharing them.

Small and defenseless at first, strong and defiant as they grow.  Oh, how I love them all.

Now, all these years later, it feels like you are wrestling them away from me, one clenched finger at a time, stealing them back. 

Except that you are not stealing. They are rightfully yours, God.

 These daughters.

Thank you for letting me be their Mom.