This Day

“You will never have this day with your children again.  Tomorrow they will be older than today. This day is a gift.  Just breathe, notice their faces and little feet.  Pay attention.  Enjoy today. It will be over before you know it.”

I came across this sign a few days ago, and it stopped me in my tracks.  I couldn’t stop thinking about those words and what they meant.  What a beautifully simple reminder of everything motherhood is and why we should hold fast to this day, this day that will never come again.

The days we are supposed to hold so tightly to often seem to take on a mind of their own.  Life races past us full of job responsibilities, family obligations, diaper changes, carpools, mealtime, laundry, etc.  It can be so challenging to remain in the moment and to pay attention to every word, every breath, and every smile.  The moments so often seem to run right through us as we struggle to balance everything that’s expected of us on this day that will never come again.  Oh, but when we can notice those little faces, when we can share a moment of discovery, or when we can just sit quietly together feeling their warm little bodies curled up against ours it can make our hearts overflow with joy and with gratitude for this moment, this moment that will never come again.

As we focus on enjoying the day, we so often find ourselves counting down the hours until our spouse comes home when we will be allowed a brief respite, a sharing of the load, a passing of the most important torch we have ever carried.  We look forward to the time that will belong to us once the house falls quiet in the evening, and our most precious gifts are tucked peacefully (or something like that) into bed.  We return wearily to the work that we didn’t finish, the laundry that is still not folded, the lunches we still need to pack, and the chores we have yet to finish.  If we are lucky we will find a few precious minutes that can belong to us by way of a good book or a favorite TV show, but most likely we are too tired by that point to enjoy this time we have been looking forward to all day.

And so time marches on, and these days that seem so long end more quickly than we anticipated.  All of a sudden a phase is over, and without any warning our child is bigger, stronger, and more capable than she was yesterday.  Sometimes we celebrate it, and sometimes we weren’t ready. It happened so quickly, and now we are one step closer to moving away from the days that can so often seem so difficult yet are the ones we look back on so fondly once our children have grown.

So, let us realize that today, in all its glory and whatever that may look like, is truly a gift.  Let us be grounded in the fact that this too shall pass whether we are prepared for it or not.  May we find strength in each other, love in our hearts, and grace for our children.  May we never forget what an honor and a privilege this job truly is.

Find the joy~

Jessica

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