As I lay snuggled in my nice warm bed this morning, with my husband on one side and my littlest one tucked into the other side, I was inspired to remind you today to relish in the blessings of your children.
One of my favorite times of the day is when one of my children (usually one of my two youngest–or sometimes both) comes into my bedroom in the morning and snuggles up with me as we wake up. It used to be something that occurred every morning and it drove me crazy, but then it struck me that this isn’t going to last forever. They will probably not have the desire to snuggle with me when they are teenagers. So I’ve decided that instead of letting it annoy me, I am going to relish in it every opportunity I get because just like I predicted, their snuggle time has become less and less frequent. It’s a slow progression, but I can see it happening.
I am also reminded of this as I watch one of my best friends raise her daughter that is on the brink of being a teenager. My friend is a hugger and it is killing her as her daughter breaks away from her and doesn’t want to hug her mom anymore. In my world, as my kids can’t seem to keep their hands off me and want me to hug and kiss them frequently, my friend reminds me that she would give anything for her daughter to ask her for a hug today. I recognize that my kids are not that far away from that. Every moment is blessing and I have to continually remind myself to live in the moment because, although the progression is slow, my children will eventually slip off into their own lives as adults.
I don’t want to look back with regrets and give anything to go back. I want to live today…today, not in the replay of my mind. So I encourage you, no matter what season of motherhood you are in today, whether it be knee deep in diapers, sending them off to school, running your kids around to all of their activities or watching them drive off in their own car…relish in this moment of today. Breathe it in deeply and enjoy it.
