There are days when I think back and wonder what ever persuaded me at the age of 22, to marry a man 10 years older than me and who already had 2 daughters. Of course, the answer is always love. That darn addicting feeling that draws you in and fights you when you try to leave it. I don’t regret my decision, but there are always those thoughts in the back of my head saying, “What if…”

Well, today was NOT one of those days, today was a day where I am thanking God for giving me the step-daughters I have.

I work part-time as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. The luxury is I get to choose my hours based on the available overtime. The down side, sometimes I only have graveyard shifts to choose from. Last night was one of those times. I was scheduled to work from 11pm to 3am. Usually I’m able to get to sleep right when I get home but for some reason I couldn’t get to sleep until after 4am! It definitely makes it hard to get moving when your little ones come in your room at 6:30!

My youngest step-daughter, who is actually 17, (t’s hard to believe trust me, I met her when she was 7,) stepped right up and helped out. When she woke up the kids instantly wanted to go down stairs with her and she didn’t hesitate. She fed them breakfast and kept them entertained while I dozed on and off upstairs.

Now sure this isn’t a HUGE deal. But just the fact that she did this on her own. I didn’t ask her, or tell her to do it. She just DID it!

It makes me so proud that I had a hand in raising her and she’s turning into such a caring, compassionate young lady, and seeing the impact that I have made in her life takes away all those frustrated feelings I have when she takes my laundry out of the dryer still damp. At least until the next time!

Photo credit: tabrandt