Changes are a Comin'

Baby K is starting to break free from his swaddle.

Princess K likes to say, “I'll do it by myself mom.”

Little K told me as I walked away from his room, “Mom, you don't have to leave the hall lights on for me, I'm going right to sleep.”

Transitions.

Growing up.

Smiles.

Tears. (mine)

I know these are all little things, but they all mean that we are in forward motion...that we are changing, and each child is becoming more independent. Needing less of the comforts of the stage before. Less worried about getting help. Thankfully, I am still needed for kissing owies and giving hugs (and the less glamorous things too.) This is what we as parents want right? We want them to become self-sufficient in their hygiene and not continue to be scared of the dark. We want them to grow up.

Just not so fast.

I've been thinking lately about the realities of life. About all the things that Keith and I are sure to walk through in the next 50 years or so. Some of them will be tragic and heart-splitting, some of them will be just normal and non-emotive regular things, and some of them will be extraordinarily celebratory.

These thoughts that I'm thinking have made me ponder two things...

First...I'm so thankful to have, Keith, my best friend, the one I love beside me through what is to come, both happy and sad.

Second, seize the day.

Yep, seize it.

It may seem simple and mundane and even quite cliché, but I don't want to wish away today thinking about tomorrow. I have smiled more, and laughed more, and even slowed down and left dirty dishes in the sink longer. Instead of biding my time until “quiet/nap time” I want to embrace it. I want to cherish it.

Because one day too soon, my 3 K's will all be in school and my house will be empty during quiet time.

Everyone, and I really do mean everyone. Not in the “everybody's doing it, they have pink converse and I want them too” way, but I mean everyone who has kids further along in age then my own tells me, “enjoy this time, it goes way too fast.” I don't want to get on the other side of “this time” and wish I had cherished it more. I am just going to cherish it more.

When Little K was about 18 months old I taught him to smell flowers because otherwise he kept pulling the petals off. So he'd stop and smell flowers everywhere...weeds too. He was a fast learner and he stopped often to smell the flowers. I think of that lesson he taught me back then, take the time to smell the flowers because I started to get impatient with the thing I taught him. Then he learned to say, “mell it momma.” he wanted to share this gift with me. So...I stopped to smell them too.

Then I quit.

I'm starting again.

I'm cherishing each day as the gift God has intended it to be...like we sing every morning on the way to school, “This is the day the Lord has made, Rejoice and be Glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Rejoice and be glad in it.