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I haven't had much time for self-reflection. I haven't had time for any kind of reflection to be quite accurate. I don't even look in the mirror except on unique occasions like a hair in my eye or a nose blowing episode gone wrong. Most of my mirror encounters are done in a rear view mirror as I head down the road to work. If I were to take the time to reflect on my life I'd have a lot to contemplate. I've had a very very long life, a life filled with too much drama, too much food, and too little time. It's virtually impossible to raise 9 kids without lots of drama. Kids are small actors that learn their lines well and use them at the most opportune times. I've eaten "snoogers", wiped baby poop off a white shirt with the back of a dirty diaper, lost a few kids (yes, I found them again) and attempted to eat taco's without a plate while driving a big yellow school bus. Oh, yes, the big yellow school bus. One winter when work was scarce, our family min-van broke down. It was unfixable. Fortunately, we had someone give us a yellow school bus. Not the huge kind used in elementary pick-ups. A Short yellow school bus which I drove for almost a year. My kids not only rode the short bus to school....they rode the short bus to every place they went. You can image the jokes they had to endure.

Well now, I've started reflecting. It's not half as bad as I though it would be, although I'm sure my thoughts are quite random and unorganized. So here, in my opinion, are a few of my major accomplishments:

1. I've picked up five kids covered in mud from head to toe from their escapes at the waterworks lake and hauled them home(using the back roads) on the top of a Chevy nova with one or two randomly falling of the car every few block until we made it home. Then I cleaned them.

2. I've chased a pet snake that escaped from it's cage through the bottom of a dresser drawers and actually reached into the dark cubby and pulling the snake (a pet store garden snake) out by it's tail.

3. I've told over a 1000 stories and tickled over a 1000 backs and changed over a 1000 diapers and washed over 1000 dishes and folded over a 1000 towels and given over a 1000 kisses and dried over a 1000 tears and smiled over a 1000 smiles and laughed over a 1000 laughs and cried over a 1000 sobs and gave over a 1000 baths and only thought of quiting ONE measly time.

4. I've buried over 20 dead hamsters. Helped our dog give birth to five puppies on our family room sofa. Taken in stray cats and adopted baby kittens.

5. I've listened to "Does my butt look too big" over a 100 times, and patiently answered over 100 times, "no, honey, your butt looks great. Having daughters is much harder than sons.

6. I went through five pregnancies and five births and still think a 200 pound pregnant lady is beautiful and childbirth isn't THAT painful. (so i'm delusional).

7. I've kept my faith in G-d and mankind and still believe that the world will continue to hold goodness for all my children and my grandchildren.

8. I never gave up.

So, I could go on and on. I've ridden roller coasters and pushed merry-go-rounds. I've water skied and waded in creeks and packed up picnics and looked for fairies and caught locusts and lightening bugs. I've hugged and carried and worried and threatened and pleaded and prayed. What a great life I've had! I guess what I've discovered about myself in all this is that I'm stronger, wiser and more tenacious than I give myself credit for. The human spirit is enduring! And now, if I'm moving a bit slower and taking a few afternoon naps now and then....I've earned them! I'm glad I reflected!

Learn more about this author, Ginger Betzer.
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