Moments

Being under the weather so much of the fall/winter has made for lots of cuddle time in this house. Every single bedtime and naptime, my son requests, "I need you to WAY wit me, Mommy. Just for a widdo bit."

We try to stay strong. We discipline when he gets out of bed or when he keeps yelling for us. But I confess I have lied with him until he's fallen asleep a lot lately. I go in reluctantly, but every time, I end up lying there thinking, "What in the world could be wrong about this?"

His skin is still soft like a baby and he curls into me and his eyelashes are so long and at three years old he still does that suckling sound to get himself to sleep. So content, so peaceful. And I think, There is no where else I'd rather be right now.

He won't want me to lie with him forever. These moments are fleeting. I want to soak in all the fullness of this moment while it is here.

I pray for him while we are still. For his heart to become soft to Jesus, for his heart to become strong like Jesus'. I whisper to him that God is always with him, taking care of him, even when Daddy and Mommy aren't. He says, "Mm-hmm" and keeps on suckling.

And usually he says something random, like, "Baby Jesus didn't even have a Bear and Elmo." Or, "The Snow Monster was really scary but then he wanted to be friends with Rudolph." Or, "Mommy is going to ride a horse and Zekie is going to ride a sled and Daddy is going to ride a pony."

And then I burst out laughing at these three-year-old thoughts, and then he bursts out laughing because I'm laughing, and we are definitely not sleeping.

But these are the moments God gives us. Don't miss these moments with your children. They seem small, but they make up the relationships that are the foundations for their life.