In the morning, when Samuel wakes up, he grabs all of his bedtime stuff – pillow, john deere blankets, stuffed animals – and then comes down with me and sits on my lap. His little head, with that blond hair sticking up in the back, rests on my shoulder, and he’s content to just sit there. There’s no agenda for him – it’s this time of waking up, of being with me, of just being – his agenda isn’t about busy stuff to get done.
We’re only given a window of time where they fit on our laps, or want to hear a story late at night, or want to ride in the front seat and go get coffee with you, or share the wonder of the rainbow found in the sky. What are we doing with these moments? Are we aware and willing to let go of the urgent to-do lists? Or are we just racing through them thinking that we can grab onto that snapshot of time tomorrow? These moments are finite….you can’t go back and grab them again. You can embrace them today, but you need to slow down, and to train yourself to let go of the agenda and take the time.
Don’t rush through today to just get to tomorrow. The tomorrows will come and eventually these sweet moments will just become nostalgic memories. My Captain America loving Samuel is growing up and for now I’m going to sit on our worn couch with him in my lap and I’m going to breathe deep – remembering these mornings with him and his sleepy body waking up in my arms. .
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15 comments
I love your posts! They are always filled with incouragement that I need to hear right when I need it most. I have a very hard time slowing down, plus, I’m a “in a minute mom.” This morning one of my boys came up to me again with a book he had asked me to read to him last night, that of course I told him, “in a little bit.” It was 4 small pages! It litterally only took me 1 minute to read. I read a few more books to the little ones and now they are off playing. Why, why do I always make them wait so I can keep working on my to do list? Grrr! All they needed where those few minutes to feel like we had connected and now they are fine off on there own for the morning. Now, off to start school for the day. Have a blessed day!
i think hunter going to preschool two mornings/week reminded me of fleeting time so much. all the diapers, spit-ups, it’s all gone. : ( so why did i get so frustrated changing the 12th diaper of the day, right?!
perspective changes everything. thanks for the constant reminder, my sweet friend!!
Carissa and Elizabeth — I think that’s the constant pull that we as mothers, and as just people, have to deal with in our lives. We see the gigantic to-do lists and want to complete them but then we also know the need to step back and enjoy the moment of today. It’s such a balance – a back and forth and giving of grace to yourself.
Thank you for your sweet and encouraging comments!
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Oh yes, I get that! So true and so hard to stay in the moment and embrace it!! I wrote about that and yet, I still struggle with it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Thanks for the reminder!!!
Off to check out your perspective, Chris! Thanks for sharing with me your heart — we’re in this motherhood journey together!
Oh, I love what you said “Don’t rush through today to just get to tomorrow” I think I need to write that somewhere and look at it throughout my day!
You sum up my life perfectly.
I try to tell myself that someday they won’t want to sit on my lap and play with my hair…someday they won’t want to crawl into bed with us at night…and I’ll miss it. Yet, I still find myself impatient sometimes about those little things.
I just stumbled across your blog and just had to comment on this post. You are so right! I have a four yr old and sometimes I am just too exhausted to even pick her up when she keeps saying, ‘Mommy, I want you”. I am getting better at being there in the moment with her. You really hit home with this one and I just want to thank you for putting this out there. Our kids are precious gifts that we must cherish.
Jamie and C — they do grow! It’s so hard to keep that perspective right in the midst of the crazy. Thank you for sharing a bit of your stories with me. I think I write so much about embracing today because it is such a balance for me to remember it.
Blessings!
This is so what I needed to hear today. I have a 4 month old that makes me lose my mind sometimes cause she always needs to be held and the minute I put her down to get anything done, she will cry and cry…=( but I’m embracing it and just enjoying this time while it lasts. Thanks!
SO true! I really wish other people could see and understand this side of motherhood… especially moms who are at home and then someone asks “well what DO you do all day?!” and it’s hard to explain this beautiful time of just cherishing my life and children.
My house will never look like anything in BH&G because I choose to take these little moments as often as they come and just enjoy my children, amen?
Thank you.
Thank you for that gentle reminder.
Know that you’re always in my thoughts and prayers!
Psalms 27:7-9 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
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Thank you! 🙂
I fully agree with this and feel I am actually pretty good at doing this but where I struggle is in convincing my husband of this. I can talk until I am blue in the face but he has a hard time understanding this. The dishes can pile up because my son wants me color right now. Getting him to get that is hard and makes it hard on me to take that time because dealing with the frustration from him is hard too. Sigh…that is where I struggle.