An Amazing Place

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

~ Psalm 118:24 ~

Recently, with all the beautiful weather, I've been spending more time outside.  Sunday afternoon was no exception.  I asked my husband to lend a hand to clear out some weeds from a front flower bed.  After he'd made his much appreciated contribution of large-scale shoveling and pulling, he left me to the fine-tuning.

As I sat there at the edge, my thoughts were as busy as my hands.  I began thinking about my sister-in-law and her newborn son.  It brought back memories from when my children were babies... of course, there were the sleepless nights and times of worry, but oh so much laughter and many, many tender, sweet moments.

I felt a twinge of longing for those days, and a bit of sadness that my children were out of that stage... and then my little boy of 5 years bounded over from the backyard.  He didn't say much, just plopped down next to me.  It was like he knew I needed his company.  After catching his breath, he asked what I was doing and if he could help.  "Of course!"  With that, he brought my focus back to the present.

"Children have neither past nor future;

they enjoy the present, which very few of us do."

~ Jean de la Bruyere ~

He grabbed Daddy's shovel and was able to get some dirt turned over here and there.  Then he looked for worms.  Soon, he was just there, sitting next to me.  Out of the silence, I heard, "Mom, I like being with you."  I looked up at him and asked, "Why?"  With his pretty green eyes linked directly to mine, he said, "Because... you're so Mom-like."  Then he smiled and went back to his dirt.

If I ever needed to hear those words, it was in those moments.  God knew what was on my heart, and sent a sweet messenger to remind me of a few things.  Yes, I've raised my 'babies' but they're still my little ones... they'll grow in to bigger children, but they'll always be mine, and I'll always be "Mom."

There are still the occasional sleepless nights and times of worry... they will exist, as long as my children and I are together on this earth... but for all that, there's still so much laughter and many, many tender, sweet moments yet to be...  We've come through much to end up where we are... and right now, the present is an amazing place to be.

"Rejoice in the things that are present;

all else is beyond thee."

~ Montaigne ~