Memories...

Every so often, like a lot of moms, I will pull out the boxes and boxes of photos from years gone by and dust off the memories of when my children were still babies. I will marvel at their tiny faces, caught so perfectly on camera. It’s as though I can read what’s going on in their tiny little minds. I can see the trust shining from their eyes as I hold them and pose for the camera, not realizing just how fleeting those moments would be. 

As the layers of photos are lifted away, a new era begins to unfold right before my eyes. The chubby cheeks of a baby soften to the slightly firmer and sometimes thinner cheeks of a toddler. There are pictures from all phases of their lives. First steps, first fishing trip, first ride on a trike and the first day of school. The photos tell the story of their lives, each turn of the page giving way to new memories and a slighter older version of the baby at the beginning of the book. 

For me, the pages of each smiling baby slowly leads to pictures of an adult child followed by new baby pictures…pictures of their own children and the phases of this new life starts to unfold. I can see the resemblance to the baby I had myself, so many years ago. This one has her mother’s eyes, while that one has her father’s mischievous grin and still another is a laughing little boy that is the spitting image of his father. I am in awe of them. They are so young and so perfect with their life stretched before them like an untouched canvas, waiting for them to draw their own masterpiece. 

As I sit and think about all the things my children are experiencing with their own children, I feel joy and happiness deep within myself. I know just how precious these times are which is why I also feel a moment of bittersweet longing. There are so many things I want to tell them, things that my mother tried to tell me but I was too young and too all-knowing to listen. 

I want to tell them to cherish these moments. To slow down and listen, really listen. Listen to the thoughts that tumble from their children’s minds and watch their little faces as they absorb each piece of information you give them, like tiny little sponges soaking up every drop of attention you bestow on them. Cherish the times they want to crawl into your lap for a snuggle or want just one more story at night. Cherish the times when you are in the car together, whether it’s a quick trip to the store, a trip across town or even across state. Turn the radio off and talk about all the things they are thinking and seeing, even if it’s just calling out the color of every single car you see. No matter how old the game may become to you, to them they will never tire of it simply because you are playing with them and talking to them. They have your attention and that’s all that really matters.

If I could tell them anything, I would tell my children to cherish the here and now. Spend your time intent on making memories and building ones that will last a lifetime not only for you but for them as well. If I could tell them anything, I would tell them that each of these moments is that perfect photo that will one day be tucked away somewhere, waiting to be pulled out, dusted off and reminisced over. Don’t let the years fade away so that one day, you are sitting in a quiet room, wishing you had taken more time to make more memories. Don’t keep telling yourself that you will spend more time with them tomorrow. Tomorrow will be here before you know and soon it will be yesterday. Spend more time making memories rather than dwelling on the ones gone by. Do it for yourself and do it for your children.