One Day at a Time

It was his first birthday and we  decided to visit the water amusement park to celebrate.  He had just learned to walk and toddled along and would occasionally plop down on the ground whenever he lost his balance. I looked into those bright little eyes and I commented to my husband about how he was growing up so fast and how it seemed like I had just birthed him.  My husband looked at me and said "Yeah.  Before we know it, he will be five years old and on his way off to kindergarten"!  Even at that time it was hard for me to even consider that "far" ahead into the future.
It is now thirteen years and three other kids later.  Now that bright eyed little boy is a freshman in high school and my YOUNGEST child is in the second grade.  Now I look at my four beautiful children and I wonder where the time has gone.  I feel the ache of regret because sometimes I wish that I could get back the times when they were infants and would lie on me and sleep quietly on my tummy.  I miss when they were toddlers and I would see the wonder in their eyes as they would explore a world that was brand new to them.  I miss when they were preschoolers and I had to sit through six hours of Dora, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Bear in the Big Blue House.  At the time, I allowed the stress of life to cause me to want to hurry life along.  I would say "I can't wait until they go to school so then I can have peace and quiet and finally have my TV to myself."  The truth is, there truly isn't anything on TV anyways and while I do appreciate having quiet time to myself,  I often find myself missing them while they are in school. 
If I could do it all over again,  I would just stop and enjoy the moment that I am in, and not try to rush the future.  We do not live forever on this earth and we will not have these precious moments with our loved ones always.  Kids grow up and they move out, get married and sometimes even move away.  Things happen and people die.  So many people whom I loved and admired are no longer with us.  We have to enjoy each and every moment that God has given us.  No one knows what tomorrow holds so we have to appreciate the little things today. 
I am in no way saying that I am at the point where I appreciate every little thing.  If you were in my house last week, when the kids didn't have school the WHOLE week due to snow days, then you would know that I still have a lot of growing to do!  There were days where I was tempted to go out and plow every road in the city myself just to get the kids out of my house!  I did appreciate having a little extra time to spend with them however and also not having to deal with the harrowing morning rush and sometimes equally frustrating evening homework routine.  It was just nice to slow down for a bit.
Also with each new stage in life there are new challenges.  When your kids are newborns, they may cry a lot and must rely on you for every little thing. When they are toddlers, they are exploring and may get into every little thing.  When they are in elementary school, you have to deal with teachers, homework and bruised knees.  In high school, they are trying to figure out where they fit in this crazy world and may at times even lash out at you, in the process.  Then there is college and adulthood, where parents have to let go (truly hard for me) and can only pray that what we have taught them will help to keep them out of harm's way and help them to thrive in life.  If we always keep saying that we "can not wait until..." we miss out on the beauty of each stage in life.
So what I am trying to say is stop, smell the roses, enjoy the moment and take things one day at a time.

JAMES 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and this vanishes away.