Sometimes when I look at my kids, I see a glimpse of the future - how they will look in 6 or 8 or 10 years. And I get goosebumps because they are so beautiful.
Tonight when I tucked my "baby" (4.5) into bed, and she wrapped her little arms around my neck like she always does and pulled my nose down to her baby-soft cheek, I thought She's not always going to be this small. And I felt something profound stirring within me. Not sadness. Because that 4.5-year-old will still be a part of her when she's 6 and 8 and even when she's older than I am now. But I was reminded yet again how important it is to love every minute of this. To be grateful for every moment -- the quiet and the loud (and the cacophonous,) the pleasant and the irritating and the joyful, the painful and the euphoric and the plain old coasting along in contentment.
You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus
Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone
10 comments:
Great quotes Candace. It's very important to cherish the time we have "here". Live each day to its fullest is my motto. Thanks again for the great reminder.
Such beautiful sentiments! As the mother of a 28 yr old, I totally agree. I can still see the loving, dependent 2 yr old, and the feisty 4 yr old in my daughter.
I always tell new mothers to enjoy every day of their baby's childhood. We have them for such a short time.
Treasure them - as you do.
I love those quotes, Egs. They're both spot on. :-) Thinking about any little Monkeys in the future?
Eve's Other Half, thank you. I am always touched when my scribblings can evoke exactly what I was trying to get across. You made my day. And I can just picture your sweet little boy kissing your back. It makes me smile. :-)
TS, you know exactly where I'm coming from. :-) My mom once told me "If I'd known who you were going to be when you were a baby, I would have loved you even more." I didn't really get it until my own kids had grown up enough for me to get an inkling of her true meaning. Now I get it. And she was so right. :-)
TG - You, too, know where I'm coming from. It's so inspiring for me to see people like you and TShsmom with grown kids who have a GOOD relationship with them and clearly treasure them every bit as much as(if not more than) when they were tiny. Thank you. :-)
Candace - Great heartfelt post. It's a lesson we could all learn in appreciating the people we love in our lives.
Thanks for visiting, I'll keep you posted on the weekend breakfast delights ...
Thanks, SleepyD! Oh yes, do. I can enjoy KK vicariously through you. Without the fat. :-)
Candace, the true test is making it through the teen years, especially with daughters! It never ceases to amaze me that my daughter and I are best friends after the turmoil of her teen years.
At the time, she thought I was the mother from hell. NOW, she understands my motives. I'm especially enjoying HER struggles with her teen stepchildren. heehee
Ah, yes. The true test is yet to come. But it is SO good to see that it CAN be done. I was lucky enough to never go through that with my mom. Will I be as lucky as a mother, myself? :-)
Yeah, you MIGHT luck out. We had the added disadvantage of dealing with our daughter's clinical depression through her teen years. We had to constantly push her, which caused some serious head-butting. :(
oh such a beautiful post. My "baby" (just turned 10) has lost the baby fat in his face, is tall and thin, but still likes to hold my hand as we walk or sit on the couch together. Thank goodness!
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