A Gift and a Goal

(Karen Kingsbury reads her book "Let Me Hold You Longer" in this video)                                              

I have enjoyed reading all 22 books in Karen Kingsbury's 'Baxter Family Series' but along the way there was one moment that made me stop.  It made me truly stop and ponder and gave me a whole new outlook on life.  In one of the books a mother writes a letter to her son about all his 'lasts'.  They eventually turned it into a children's book titled 'Let Me Hold You Longer' which Karen reads in the movie above.

We seem to celebrate life by firsts; first steps, first birthday, first day of school.  But there are always the lasts.  And somehow we never seem to notice them as time slips through our fingers.  There was the last time you crawled.  The last time I held you on my hip.  The last time I tucked you into bed.  The last time I rocked you to sleep.

Had I known that it would be the last would I have held you longer?  Yes, yes, YES and thousand times yes!  Had I had the privilege to have known it was our last I would have cherished the moment and held on for as long as I possibly could.

And I began to think, as tears slid down my cheeks, I can cherish the moments, whether I know that they are the last or not.  I can be more purposeful, more aware, and cherish every single moment, because you never know when it might be the last. 

I have held my babies more, and encouraged them with my words, I have held on to the moments, even the late night one's.  I love the sound of my babies singing, their laughter ringing through our home, even their tears and silly squabbles.  Because none of it will last forever.  And before I realize it, it may just be the last.

So instead of always looking for the next, the first, and always pushing forward in fast pace I want to slow down and cherish the here and now.  The every day moments.  I want to watch and see my children, learn and grow with them.  I want to play with them and experience life with them.  I don't want to pass that time to anyone else, because the time is short and you never know when those sweet moments might be your last.
And I have realized I am upon a 'last'.  This is our last summer for life to be the way it is right now.  The way its always been.  And it will never be the same again.  Never.  I have all little ones.  None in school.  Life is free and simple and fun.  We have had 4 1/2 years together.  Growing, playing, learning and no demands of school.  And that will in some ways change when we begin our first year of school in the fall.  No, not everything will change.  But never again will I not have a child in school.  There will be a bit more of a schedule to follow and my little ones will be growing up so quickly. 

So I want to take this summer and cherish every moment, because it will be a 'last'.

A bitter sweet.

My gift was a beautiful camera bag that I received for Mother's Day, my awesome JoTote!

 
And because of my awesome purse/camera/ diaper bag I can have my camera with me all the time which means I can take pictures all the time!  Well, maybe not all the time, but you get the idea.

My goal: to capture these precious 'lasts' this summer.  A picture a day.  Possibly a collage from the day.  To slow down and cherish each moment with all my little ones.  Because this will be a last. 

I will have a section under the Family Life page titled Everyday Moments, dedicated to my 'photo or collage a day' from this summer.  And I will plan on posting a weeks worth of photos at a time, possibly on Sunday evenings.