Jun. 4, 2007
Treasured Gifts
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I'm such a lucky mom! My husband and middle son (9 yrs. old) rode their bikes down to a creek that is near our home last week. They like to wade in the water and walk on the rocks and look at all of the yucky things that live in the water. (Not necessarily yucky to them, but...) I was at home with my other two boys in the front yard playing with the slip-n-slide. (Or, "slippery slide" as it's known to my five year old.) Well, my wild child and his dad come racing down the road on their bikes ...and the stories begin. Apparently my son..."saw lobsters" and "floated in water that was 6 ft. deep because there was salt in it". (God bless the dear, clueless, child). About 15 minutes after they returned my son calls out "Oh yeah, mom, I got you something", and starts to dig into his pockets. I'm thinking....another rock for my collection (my boys have made sure that their mom has the most awesome rock collection of any mom on the block). But, no...not a rock.... This time, I'm blessed with the gift of a --- Clam! Oh the joy in this child's eyes to bring home a clam for his mom. He's a sweetheart. I don't know if the clam is alive or not??? It's still closed so I'm thinking it might be alive...but, honestly, how does one tell if a clam is alive or not??? So, now on my kitchen table is sitting a clam in a mason jar full of water. His name is "Mr. Clampy", I'll give you three guesses which one of us named him...and here's a hint...it wasn't me! I guess I should use the word "He" loosely. After finding out how to tell if he's alive, I suppose I should find out how to tell if he's a he. Sometimes I feel like this is the time in my life that I want to stay in forever. I've heard older women say that these times, when they were home with their young children, were the best years of their lives. In this time of my life, I know that they are safe and well fed and well loved. I still have them under my wing to nurture...and enjoy. God sure knows how to give such good gifts. These boys of mine confuse me on a daily basis, and make sure that I am not idle with any of those crazy things called "breaks"...they give me plenty to clean! But, when again, will I ever be able to look into the, bright wide, eyes of my son as he proudly shows me a gift, that he lovingly picked out just for his mama? This is treasured time. This is my opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these young charges of mine. What a high calling; what trust the Father has placed in my hands. How I pray that the love and security that we try to lavish on them will create a ripple effect that will change the deep-seated habits of past generations, making a difference in the future of many generations to come. I often get caught up in looking back -- back to when they were infants and toddlers and so cute and cuddly. I miss those days. But, truly, I don't want to look too far backward or too far ahead. I want to enjoy this moment in time; a time that will surely pass by all too quickly. |