After browsing through Sunday’s comics, Tim casually handed me the paper and pointed to this strip with a smirk.
While I may roll my eyes when a stranger says to me, “Enjoy these moments, they don’t last forever,” I am very aware that my boys are outgrowing my lap. Ben’s head doesn’t quite fit underneath my chin anymore and Jack feels like a gangly teenager. We are all growing in awareness of their independence which expresses itself in “No!” and “I can take care of myself” and I will NOT hold your hand! which sounds more like “Aaaaaahhhhh!!”
At times – No, most of the time I am beyond frustrated when our wills collide with temper-tantrums and tears and screams (I won’t say who does what) and I find myself wondering how much longer this stage will last. Can I survive it? Will they survive it?
But then I’m reminded by a simple comic, no. seriously, enjoy these moments. See what is good. See the good in these little ones you have today.
Last night Tim and I laughed and sighed over the quirks and signature actions of our boys…
We rolled our eyes at Jack’s excuses for wetting his pants (“I’m not wetting myself, it’s drying!”).
We cracked up imagining Ben’s face as he turns his head – somehow leading with his eyes as he turns and grinning that impish grin he has. Little stinker.
I delight in Jack’s imagination – his world that is not really part of this world at all, but is a constant fantasy filled with super heroes, pirates, and dragons. I never know if I’m going to step into a swamp or an oil spill until it’s too late! He gets lost in his books, and especially Harold with his purple crayon. 
Ben makes me laugh just by running. I mean seriously, it’s the cutest thing ever when he pumps his little arms as if his life depended on it.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL6WWYOQzmk?rel=0] And they amaze me with their abilities. Jack is becoming quite the artist and Ben, well, I want to learn from him how to put things back where they belong.
I’m trying to see the good. It is a discipline. I need to practice. But it’s there. The good is there for those with eyes to see it.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. – Colossians 4:2
For more on learning to see the good, listen to Greg Boyd’s sermon “Look.” It knocked my socks off this morning.
And then the day comes when they present you with a grandchild! Or two! (As we are about to experience!) Not saying it goes by too fast. I think that’s a silly cliche. Treasure each moment and it really does feel like a marathon and not a sprint. But the wheel of life does turn. And the miraculous gift of being a Mom, or a Dad, goes through stages like the seasons. You are in the springtime of it all. Each season has its beauty, its joys and its frustrations. My wish is that you are aware and open to all of it, and that you thank God for every moment, every day, every joy and frustration for the marvelous gift of your children.
Thanks for your words, David! I love the idea of being in the springtime right now. I’m not sure what the winter will look like… but yes, spring is a hopeful time. And two grand-babies?! Congratulations!