I have learned many things since becoming a mother. There are the obvious things like the fact that my kid won’t die of a disease if she doesn’t get a bath every night or brush her teeth everyday, or that when you put them to bed at night and they cry, it’s actually NOT a known fact that it hurts you more than it hurts them. But then there are the other not-so-obvious things like finding out that throwing a penny in a body of water and making a wish will thrill a child beyond belief. This was the case a few days ago when I called Aunt Susan on a Sunday afternoon and said, “Hey, what are y’all doing? Mind if Brittain and I come and ruin whatever plans you might have previously had?” And so it was that we got in the car, drove to Atlanta and met Aunt Susan, Kristen (and Mimi as she was on her way back from North Carolina) and headed to the Botanical Gardens to be inspired.
As soon as we arrived and Aunt Susan paid a million dollars for all of us to enter, it immediately started to rain. But aside from it preventing me from taking what could have been some great pictures, not one of us said a word about it. For Brittain especially it seemed to be an added bonus to the day, as if NOT having the rain would have made it less fun. I think she even inspired the rest of us to take on that same thought process. Because just as the rain renewed all of the beautiful plants and flowers, it seemed to also renew us as we enjoyed the time together.
While there were numerous things Brittain enjoyed, I never would have guessed that having the opportunity to throw a coin and make a wish would have been at the top of the list. And it was the next few minutes that seemed to bring even more meaning and enjoyment to the day as we all stared at Brittain watching as she concentrated on the important task.
