Sunday Enlightenment -Treasuring the Moment Now

Yesterday, Sunday - home from vacation, I was back to my routine of holding babies at early church. This is something I do every summer. I prefer to volunteer my time with the babies, it fits my summer rhythm of low structure. In the infant room there is no curriculum, lesson plans, or prescribed snack time and no structure.

Yes, sometimes they cry, but I love the challenge of trying to get them distracted and happy so the parents can enjoy their time at church.

I love babies, but I am not interested in any more of my own. My love on the other hand, would like more so we could "have more adult children coming home for Christmas some day!"

While I sat there with two little boys who were crawling around, I played with them and talked to them all the while admiring their feet (baby feet are so cute).

I realized how quickly time goes by, I know everyone says it, but it really is true that a baby is only a little baby for one year. That is one Christmas, one Easter and one Summer. I tried to remember my first baby's feet once so small. What I would give for my bookworm's time machine I would zoom back and hold those baby feet once more.

I am reminded to treasure the moment I have now. I will relish the time I have with my thirteen year old and cherish this moment with his big old man feet. The Artist's feet are as big as his fathers, but I will focus on enjoying his sweet spirit and growing responsible nature sprinkled with some teenage angst and attitude.

Hit rewind to three weeks ago, I was at a baby shower and six of the women from church in attendance were pregnant, all due in late July & August. At the shower, it dawned on me that I would most likely miss holding most of these babies because next summer they would be walking and walkers go to the walker room not the infant room. I marvel at how fast humans develop muscle control and change so rapidly in front of our eyes. It is a true miracle.

After early service, I noticed one of the young mom's from the shower holding her precious bundle of joy in her arms instead of her belly. I felt a tug at my heart, does she know what's coming or how fast it will go? Of course not and neither do I. I will wander on in my journey with parenting my tweener and school age child and try to enjoy every stage knowing that before long they will be grown. The physical and emotional transformation goes so fast from baby feet to man feet.

He's only a boy, and yet when I do the laundry, I can hardly tell who's pants I am folding my son's or my husband's.