My greatest accomplishment

I know I am not done yet in life - there will be more accomplishments, but last night I realized I had done what I had set out to do in life.

I was putting the kids to bed and for some reason it finally hit me, my kids are my greatest accomplishment.  Not who they are, how they behave, or what they do in life.  But the fact that I wanted to be so close to my kids, and to have them always know that they are loved.  Wherever they go in life, they carry my love with them.  No matter what happens, no matter what they do, no matter how far away from me they are - they will know that they are loved.  What else could a person really want?

I've always known that I am close with my kids, they've always known that I love them.  But last night, it really became clear that I have achieved something great in my lifetime.

I know that I wasn't put on this earth to be doctor, an inventor, a professor.  I was never meant to be a person who is famous, or written about.  I never did care for any of that anyway.  I just wanted to know what my place was in life, that's all.

I don't need "success" as other people see success.  I wanted the way I feel, a piece of me, to outlive me.  There was something inside of me that needed an outlet, and it is my kids.  I sometimes wonder why it takes me so long to realize these things, and then I guess I know that if it were something I just knew, it might not mean as much.

Not only do my kids get to carry this feeling, this knowledge with them, so do I.  It doesn't matter what I do for the rest of my life, I will always have this.  This feeling, this understanding, that will always be with me, and no one can ever take that away.