The Joys of Godmotherhood.

Even though I have never wanted children of my own, I am very blessed and honored to be surrounded by them at many times and have the opportunity to be a part of their precious lives. There has been no greater joy for me in recent years than being an Aunt and a Godmother, and "Auntie Carolyn" to my friends' children.

Almost 12 years ago, my friend Traci asked me to be her daughter Emily's Godmother. Wow, I was stunned that someone would bestow such an honor on me (especially after our wild college days :)). I remember holding Miss Emily when she was 4 days old, and now she has blossomed into a beautiful young lady. I got to see her dance last weekend in a competition, and I was in awe of how mature and graceful she is. Sadly I have not been able to see Emily over the years as much I as would like, as we have never lived in the same town, but she will always have a special spot in my heart, and I hope I do in hers.

This past weekend, I was again asked to be a Godmother, this time to Travis James, the son of my friends Angela and Jason. Its amazing how being given the title of Godmother suddenly makes your relationship with a baby, a child, a growing young person, all the more serious and important. To know that your friends trust and respect you enough to want you to play a role in their childrens' lives, well, it brings life into perspective. No matter what we are facing, especially during these current difficult times, children need all the love and positive support they can get. I hope to bring more of that into Travis' life...I say "more" because based on what I saw this weekend, that little boy is going to have a lifetime full of love and support from his family, as does Miss Emily from her family.

I really don't know my own Godparents (two sets) well at all, but I know who they are, and they are special to me because they were special enough to my parents to be asked to be my Godparents. I hope that my Godchildren, as they get older, can say they know me well and that I somehow in some way, made a difference in their lives.

The five-hour drive from Houston to Baton Rouge: It sucks. I-10 sucks, that long stretch over the LA swamp sucks, and all of the construction and 18-wheelers suck. Ten hours of driving suckage was worth it though for the baptism and to see my dear friends.

Running update: Got in a couple of good runs last week, and plan to hit the track again tonight and tomorrow. I've also been doing some work on the elliptical machine in the mornings, and have joined a Pilates class that I hope to get to three times a week. I haven't been out to run with the Knuckleheads recently but hope to rectify that this coming Saturday, since I'm actually going to be in town.