Tonight as I was putting AA to bed, I laid and stroked her hair.  I sang the 100th verse of some made up song us mommies are so good at composing.  It was a song about virtues, character, and the sweet relationship between a mother and a daughter.  As I finished the song, I spoke to AA about life.  She asked me if she would some day be blessed with a daughter of her own.  I wanted to tell her “yes”, I wanted to tell her that life always works out the way we dream when we are little girls.  I wanted to tell her that her dreams of becoming a missionary and a mother are guaranteed.  But the truth is, I can’t tell her that life will always be perfect.  I think it was the first time that it truly ever dawned on me that my beloved little girl will someday experience the pains of this world, and there will be nothing I can do about it.

I told her that I prayed every night that one day, after she married a wonderful man who loves the Lord, that she would be blessed with children of her own.  I explained to her that God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want or expect him to, but that He is our God, and we can trust that He always knows what is best for us.

She asked me, “You mean the way you know what is best for me, and your mommy knows what is best for you?”  Yes.  Exactly that way.

I explained that God’s love is deeper than a Mother’s love for her own child.  A love I simply cannot fathom, for the love of my children literally causes a deep ache down into the very depths of my soul.  It can make me cry at any given moment, and it does, more often than I care to admit.

I explained that she had many many more moments to live before God made her a wife and mother, and that He was using those moments to form her into a beautiful, Godly woman.  I explained that childhood was made to be enjoyed, soaked up, and cherished.

AA admitted to me, as she had many times before, that she wanted to stay little forever, and I admitted, as I had many times before, that I would like that too, but that I knew that God had plans for her, and that growing up was part of that incredible journey.

AA immediately began scheming about how she could avoid growing up.  She suggested still having a birthday, but not growing a year older, simply staying 4 forever.  I must admit the idea is rather tempting, but no.  God has plans for her, and as sad as I am about her growing up, I can’t wait to see what it is that God has in store for her life.

So I suggested to AA that she took time everyday to capture a moment and make a memory.  I told her to make the most of every opportunity to enjoy being a child.  I told her to dance in the living room, to sing much too loudly, to giggle, to build forts, to prepare grand tea parties, to paint in the brightest colors, to swing so high she could nearly touch the stars.

As I went to bed, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Am I taking the time to capture moments and make a memory?”  I hope so.  I never want to take for granted how short this life is, and furthermore, how short childhood is.

So what about you?  Are taking the time each day to see your children as they truly are; the ultimate blessing worth cherishing?  It is so easy to get caught up in the daily grind full of diapers, “whys”, toys, and the *occasional* fit, that we forget how truly blessed we are.  One of my favorite parts of the Bible is when the Wise Men go to visit Mary.  They all speak so highly of the new baby she had just been blessed with.  The Bible says that “Mary cherished all these things in her heart”.

Lord, please help me to “cherish these things” inside my heart.  Help me to use everyday moments to make memories of our children, everyday.