Thursday 13 - Bucket List

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Esmé’s Mommy here.

If you would like to help the woman I wrote about yesterday whose daughter died last month, Michelle over at …Seeking Serenity has PayPal and Moneybookers buttons on her site through which you can donate. We’ll use all donated funds to assist the woman in some sort of business venture that will help her support her family. Thanks, Michelle!

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We had a pleasant surprise yesterday in the form of a visit from Rutendo and her baby! Rutendo worked as our empregada from June of last year through January, and then disappeared without us getting a chance to say goodbye. We heard through the grapevine that she was pregnant and didn’t want to tell us.

Well, she and baby Wilma, five months, are both looking good! Here they are with Esmé.

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Thanks to some other bloggers, I have a couple of serious posts swirling through my head on topics such as:

• What would be on my bucket list?
• What would I do differently if I knew I had one month to live?
• If I had six months of free time, with no financial limitations, what would I do?

For today's Thursday 13, though, we'll take a less serious look at what is on my bucket list where my daughter is concerned.
I realize that I can't live my life vicariously through her (though as a mom it sure it tempting sometimes), and that she may not be interested in all of these things. But if she's game, here are thirteen things I'd love to do with my little girl.

1. Read the Bible together. When she is old enough to understand and discuss what we're reading, I'd like to read the Bible together in a year. I'd love to see spiritual things through her eyes.


2. Publish a recipe book. I'd like to cook together and create favorites together. Nothing complicated, but it would be nice to have something useful - and full of heritage - that can be passed on to future generations.


3. Run a marathon. Not right away, of course - she needs to grow a little before we start training. Maybe by the time she's old enough to train, I'll be fit enough to do this!


4. Learn to swim. I desperately need to do this, and it would be fun to do it together!


5. Create a library. I want her to have a collection of books she owns and knows intimately. As a kid, I tagged all of my parents' books (and there with a lot) with "Due Date" tags in the back. I wanted to summarize and organize them all, but I ran out of life/time. She may not be like me, but I do want her to have a love for good books. (I am not the librarian type. No. NO. NO! Just in case you were wondering.)


6. Develop a sense of art and artistry. I am very unconfident in my artistic abilities and am petrified that I will pass that on to my girl. But I do well in class, so I'd love to take some classes with her, or pass on what I learn. Things like photography, and cake decorating, and flower arranging, and interior design.


7. Create a joint blog. I can't wait until she is old enough to dictate her own posts! Though she seems to be doing that already . . . Blogging is such a great outlet for the art of writing, and I'd like to introduce that to her.


8. Learn to play the oboe. Actually, I'd let her pick whatever instrument she wants. But it would be fun to learn to play something at the same time and do duets, etc. And the oboe has been on my personal list of instruments to learn for a long time.


9. Master the game of golf. Not that it can ever really be mastered, but we can at least attempt it together. I can't wait until she is old enough to be allowed on those overly-liability-conscious US golf courses. Considering how little I've played, a 64 on a 9-hole isn't so bad, but it can certainly use some improvement.


10. Go on a looong backpacking trip. Nothing like carrying all your goods on your back in solitary wilderness to create closeness between mother and daughter, wouldn't you think?


11. Learn Afrikaans together. This is Daddy's first language, and I've struggled with it for 17 years now. I'd love to pick it up as she's picking it up.


12. Sew a quilt. I still haven't used my sewing machine, purchased about 5 years ago. But she just might provide me with incentive. It would be wonderful to work on a joint project like a quilt together.


13. Enjoy the moments. More than anything else, I just want to hold on to and treasure each moment with my baby, who is fast growing up to be a big girl. I want to create memories that we can both cherish for a lifetime.

And here's Miss Esmé, helping her Mommy sort through a box of books.