Saturday.... C's School Dance

Up late again....... we were at C's house having dinner with her parents while she and her friends went to their 8th grade dance. My husband took photos of C and her group of friends before they left for the dance..... such a nice group of kids.... most of them were here for our Christmas party last year. And we'll be inviting them all back again this year, I'm sure.

Anyway.... tonight.... I had seen C's dress and her shoes and her dangling rhinestone earrings.... but tonight I saw her all dressed up in her "Miss Larrie dress," as she called it. She came out of her room in that dress and her little high-heels and within fifteen seconds, I had tears in my eyes. C noticed that right away and she ran over to me and gave me such a big hug.

I told her they were happy tears.... she was just so beautiful and growing up right before my eyes. I was so happy for her, and so happy for my husband and I that she is part of our lives.

Jeez.... I'm typing this and my eyes are puddling up again. I guess there's a sadness here also. Of course, I wish that we had a daughter of our own.... as sweet and as smart and as socially adept as C. If I had to pick a child in this world for my own, of course I'd choose C.

So maybe that's why my eyes started to tear up. C is part of our lives, I know that...... but she isn't our child, no matter how much we love her, no matter how much she loves us.

C has always told me that I've taught her so much over the years. She gives me more credit than I'm due. I taught her little things along the way, little lessons here and there during the days we've spent together. But her parents are the great teachers in her life, in my opinion. They have raised such a well-adjusted child who is socially confident, emotionally secure, and spontaneously joyful. What wonderful gifts they have given that girl.

C will telephone us tomorrow and tell us all about the dance. I can't wait to hear it all, from beginning to end. In a couple of weeks, I'll be at her school with her parents, watching the 8th grade graduation ceremony for C and her classmates. I'd better remember to tuck some tissues into my purse.... there are bound to be more tears.