Stealing Mommy's heart

I reached into my 5-year-old daughter's book bag the other day to pull out the latest art treasures she's drawn at school. I grabbed a green piece of scrap paper folded over into a card. There were hearts drawn in crayon and the words, "LOVE MOM FAITH." (We need to work on lowercase letters.) Although I've been the recipient of several masterpieces of scribbling, this one stole my heart. My little girl made an impromptu Valentine - for me! With all the worrying about trying to be the best parent I can be, I must be doing something right.
While I love the card, there's also a sense of sadness that Faith is not my little baby anymore. Every day that passes brings her a new maturity that can be overwhelming for Mom. First it was picking out her own clothes, now it's making her own breakfast or wanting to "do it myself." There's a certain sense that she doesn't really need me anymore, but it only takes one fall or fever to get her back in my arms again. She's always in my heart.
Liz Fabian