My Bella

The name Bella means "beautiful" in Italian or "God's promise" in Hebrew. My Bella means both to me. She is the essence of my being. Her given name is not really Bella, but that is what she calls herself these days. Now, we don't call her that, but her friends have taken to role playing from the movie Twilight and they all call each other the movie names. She is Bella. I have to admit, given the meaning of the name, it does fit her. Being a parent to Bella is probably one of the most rewarding as well as gut-wrenching experiences I have ever had the opportunity to experience. I think Elizabeth Stone captured it best when she said, "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." It is true, when she experiences something good, my heart is so happy, the birds chirp more loudly, the grass is greener...etc. When she experiences something difficult, my stomach drops and I immediately feel nauseous. I seem to experience childhood all over again through her eyes. The thing I wasn't prepared for in the past couple of years is the knowledge and awe of experiencing Bella's beautiful heart and wanting to be more like her in life. I always assumed that it was the parent that taught the child. Bella is the type of child that is kind to everyone, she just accepts life and circumstances as they are and makes the best of it. She is nice to all living things (even reptiles, which I abhor). She has taught me that no matter what, tomorrow is another day. So, this thirtysomething is so grateful to have Bella and to be able to experience another view of childhood through her eyes. My Bella, my sunshine, I love you =)