There are certain moments I want to freeze forever. Jarrett, Jak and I were sitting in his room early this morning. Jak asked us to lay in the floor with him and quickly went to get Mama a pillow and a blanket. We snuggled down on the floor in the dark room and suddenly Jak started singing twinkle, twinkle little star. It was one of those moments where time stood still and nothing else mattered. We were all fully present in that moment. I leaned over to Jarrett and said, “this is something we will remember when we are 80.”
Being Jak’s mama is the absolute highlight of my life. The simplicity of the blessing that he is astonishes me. I am so thankful for the ability to be fully present in moments like this morning. He has taught me to be still, to lean in, and to listen. He has brought a lightness and a joy to my life that I didn’t know I needed. It’s funny to think how much we stress about teaching them what they need to know, when really, it’s them teaching us. If only we will listen and pay attention. What they want most is our presence.
One of my favorite devotionals is New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. The March 31st devotional said, “So be careful how you make sense of your life. What looks like a disaster may in fact be grace.” The perspective we carry into our lives shifts everything and shapes everything. The lens through which we look determines everything we see. This morning, in the floor of his dark bedroom, my precious son taught me to see beauty and grace. To stop, no matter how much needs to be done and how much chaos surrounds me.
Sweet friends, think back over the last year and take account of the moments in your life that were truly emergencies. That required your immediate attention and response. Most of us will see that they are few and far between. It’s okay to walk away from that cell phone. To silence it, to put it away, to lean into the moment. My precious son spends 9 hours a day at daycare and 9-10 hours sleeping at night. That means, on a good day, I get about 2 morning hours and 2 evening hours to spend with him. I try to make those hours count. Sweet friends, may I encourage you today to take the time to sing with your child, to lay in the floor and be still, to play with cars or magnetic tiles or whatever it is they are interested in. I know one day my son won’t cry for his Mama when he wakes up. He won’t want to sit with me and eat his morning pouches. He won’t ask me to play. Today, I sang the song, held the hand, and forgot about every other little thing around me. Much love and invitations to play sweet friends.
