Monday, February 25, 2008

Time keeps on slipping into the future . . .

" . . .Of all the gifts that a parent can give to a child, time is the most precious." --Robin R. Meyers

Time flies. The older I get, the more true this seems. All I have to do is look at my sons to see it. My oldest will be the big 1-0 in a few months, entering his "tween" years; soon, my five year old will be six -- hardly a baby at all, now, but a big little guy; and even the baby will be nine months old in a couple of weeks. Nine months.
We won't even get into how much older I am now than I used to be.
There are days like today, when nothing too out of the ordinary happened. It was a day. A pretty good day. Not spectacular. Not devastating. Just a day.
Or was it.
My children are growing up so fast I can almost hear their bones and muscles and skin lengthening and stretching, their minds expanding, their spirits opening, and it is happening on days like this.
Ordinary days.
It is on days like this that lifetimes happen. Days add up, and before you know it, years have passed. Whole lives are lived on ordinary days. Extraordinary lives, because there is magic in these days too. It's true. Magic in each and every one of them. You just need to know where to look for it. What to listen for.
I find it in my son's eyes. They light up with wonder at little things, they laugh, they search my own eyes with love, for love.
I hear it in their voices, excited with new discovery and spilling out stories of their adventures. It rings in their laughter and bubbles out in their giggles, bouncing around my head.
I feel it in their hands, varying in size, the three pairs of them still seeking me out for a hug, a squeeze, a touch.
I feel it in my husband's kiss, the brush of his hand against my arm, his fingers feeling for mine as we drive down the street.
It was in the cups of tea I shared with mom today.
In the morning spent looking at houses with grandpa.
"Life happens while we wait for something to happen, and so it's no wonder that when we get there nothing seems to be happening!" -- Robin R. Meyers
I want to embrace the life that is happening. It all comes back to time. Taking time to see. Giving time to our children, our loved ones, to let them enchant us. Letting go of our perception of what is ordinary, so we can become aware of the ordinary magic of our everyday lives.

Some pictures from this "ordinary" day:
Isaac the scout













Josiah is crusin' the universe





























Daniel wants to know, "Bedtime story, anyone?"

3 comments:

Patti said...

look at Daniel in those jammies...he is getting so big, i can't even stand it

Michelle said...

I remember specifically in 5th grade I was walking down the hallway at school after Christmas Break, and it just hit me how quickly the year had passed. I thought to myself, "I get it now. Grown-ups are always saying how fast time is passing, and I just realized how quickly last year went. I wonder if it only goes faster and faster every year from now on?" (A real "lightbulb" moment if you know what I mean.:))

Abigail Kreighbaum said...

I still can't belive how big they are. Time really does slip by. Abigail