BLESSED

A little back ground to this one...My grandma has been doing daycare for 20 years now. She started her in home daycare when she got custody of me and my older sister. She felt that we had  been through enough and should not have to make yet another change by attending a new daycare, yet she still needed to bring in an income to help cover the court costs and now the cost of raising 2 little girls (yes my parents were charged with child support but it did not cover everything). SO, she opened her home, arms, and heart to other families that needed child care. She wanted her daycare to not just be a place for parents to drop their kids off at while they work, but to be more like a grandma's house. To give parents reassurance that their most precious gift was loved and cared for even when they had to be away form them. Over the last 20 years she has had over 50 families in her home. Some for only a little time, and other have come back when they had their 2end or 3rd child. Some moved very far away, and some still live right down the street. All hold a special place in her heart and my sister's and I's. We grew up with these kids, cared for them, changed diapers, played games, sang songs, and did art projects. It was hard to say good bye when the kids grew up and were ready for school.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Even though we may not like what happened or understand it at the time, there is something to be learned and grow from in every situation. I believe that my love for children only flourished because of my grandma's home daycare. I remember many times referring to daycare kids as "my babies." It is because of all the children in my life growing up that help mold me into the mom I am. I feel truly blessed to have grown up the way I did. No it is not ideal to be raised by grandparents, but God had a plan and in that plan was an open heart and never ending love of family. Related or not every family that came through the daycare became family to us. I even had a lot of the moms that live in town come to my baby shower when I had my son.

Anyway, (sorry about the rant) my sister Jessica and I through a surprise reunion for my grandma this weekend. We did our best to contact every family that ever came, and many responded.  Words don't express the feeling of love that was there. So many wonderful people have been in our lives and it is just wonderful to see a large group of people get together and instantly become family.

Here are some of the pictures we got of everyone. (minus a few that had to leave early)

OH, and YES my she was SURPRISED!!

Just a few of the lives she has touched.

I look back at my youth and feel very blessed that my grandma opened her daycare 20 years ago. If she had not I would not have had the blessings and priceless gifts that so many of these families have given me. I hope she felt blessed because she has blessed so many others in her life.

Special thanks to Melissa for her wonderful cake. You can check out her cakes here or on facebook here