Seven seats… Seven of us. A whole life packed into one ride. Everybody pile in. Somebody forgot something. Somebody’s hungry. Music’s too loud. We’re running late. Again. Someone’s laughing. Someone’s yelling… “Mom!” Funny… I didn’t know those were the good days while I was living them. Sometimes my mind counts everything that’s going wrong. So lately… I’ve been trying to count different. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven. Seven seats. Seven blessings. This family of mine. Not perfect. Not quiet. But they’re mine. And I’m theirs. And when I stop and look around… I’ve got a pretty beautiful life. Things look different now. Two have grown. Three are still here… getting taller when I’m not looking. And me and you… still up front. Still driving. Still figuring it out. Sometimes I look in the rearview mirror… not because I wanna go back. … Just to remember how far we’ve come. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven. Seven seats. Seven blessings. Some are here. Some are growing. Some are finding their own way. And I’m so proud of who they’re becoming. I’ve had days I didn’t know how I’d keep going. But there was always a reason. A laugh. A hug. A voice saying… “Mom.” … Dear God… thank You for these blessings. This family of mine. They keep me going every day. Seven seats. Seven blessings. A million little memories in between. Long rides. Wrong turns. Loud music. Just us… being us. I spent enough time counting everything that’s wrong. Now I’m counting what’s right. One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven. My family. My blessings. My favorite part of this life. And more than anything… I’m proud I get to be their mom. Seven seats. That’s us.
