Saturday, June 2, 2012

savor

he asks his mommy
if granny can be the one
to snuggle, pray and put him to bed....

i am rubbing his back
as he starts to relax
and his breathing slows
a half smile on his little face

in the barely lit room
with the light reflecting off his profile
he looks exactly and i mean exactly
like his mommy did so many years ago

in that moment,
i am struck straight through the heart
with a memory

twenty-six years ago when she was a
little two year old, red-headed girl
she could not fall asleep unless her mommy
rubbed her little cheek until she finally fell asleep

one night my in-laws were over and it was bed time
i was a bit frustrated because, tawni needed
me to 'rub' her cheek...
after she had fallen asleep,
i came out of her bedroom
my mother-in-law, this woman
who had raised five boys and two girls...
this wise woman says to me,
"enjoy it honey because, one day she will
not want you to rub her face anymore"

i specifically remember thinking,
"oh yeah, sure" because, at the time
i was smack dab in the middle of
mommy-hood and all those mommy duties
that go along with raising little ones...

i couldn't see beyond where i was right then.

it seemed as if it was always going to be like this.
that our little family would not change with time.

then, something happened,
 i blinked.

and in that blink,
in that flash,
in that instant

i blinked, and those three little girls
grew into three beautiful women
with lives and dreams of their own.

as i am rubbing this little grandson's back,
i actually thought back to the words of my mother in law,
and consciously took a long, deep breath,
drew it in and then i
just savored the sweet moment.

as i gazed at this angel's little face
all relaxed and dreamy,
i thought about how he along with his mommy & daddy
will be moving at the end of july to austria...
which means there will not be nights like this
where i am asked to rub his back,
to watch as his face relaxes and he drifts off to sleep.

so now on this day;
i will treasure each and every moment
every single minute that i am blessed with.

i will be thankful
ever so thankful,
i will remind myself to
soak it all in...

savoring
just savoring
this moment.



Photobucket

7 comments:

Empty Nester said...

So very beautifully written! Similar words came to me via our pediatrician. There was not a night that at least one of the lovelies would come into our room- which meant interrupted sleep of a very tired mommy. One day our pediatrician says to me, "One day, you won't hear that glorious little pitter pat of the tiny feet coming into your room, and you'll miss it terribly." He was so right. And I remember when it stopped- sad day. But I listened for it and appreciated it from the day he told me that until the day it did stop.

Thoughts for the day said...

I do agree this writing is beautiful. I pray for you and your family the separation will be hard, for a season of time. God bless you.

Buttercup said...

Very lovely piece, and so true in so many ways. The joy of life is in savoring the moments.

Debbie Dillon said...

Oh, so beautiful, my friend. LOVE those memories :)
I blinked and now I'm getting ready to watch my daughter graduate from high school next week! Where did it all go?
Love how your heart comes through in your writing - you're precious to so many :)

Rick Watson said...

Very nice.

Carol said...

Beautiful. And a touching reminder to appreciate those we love today.

Marianne (Mare) Baker Ball said...

Oh, Austria is so far away! Yes, take every caress and hug and smooch you can get now. Kids grow up so fast!