As I do every day, I was nursing and rocking my 7 month old the other day, and a sort of epiphany hit me for the first time ever.
In all of the day-to-day routines of getting lunches packed, running loads of laundry, preparing and cleaning up after meals, changing diapers, playing with our kids - you get my point - we can tend to get lost in what seems to be "the mundane." For me, it's those hours after preschool/my toddler's nap and before evening activities/sports or dinnertime (say, 2-5ish) that I usually have trouble filling. For us, that time is popcorn and a movie, a trip to the playground - anything to "busy the children" before we can start our evening routine.
In this this moment with my baby, I was taking a rare quiet time to pray over Gianna and her future. It hit me that I have 18 summers with her (13 summers left with my 5-year-old)... and at the end of that, she will be an 18-year-old young woman, prepared to enter the world and make an impact. These days are all adding up to months, which add up to years - all of this is a culmination of the "moments" we've had with our kids. We are showing them how we deal with situations, and conflict, how to have a sense of humor, and how to persevere. We are showing them by how we live our lives.
I don't say this to bring the weight of the world on you! I say this to encourage you, because at the end of these 18 summers, we will have reproduced the best version of ourselves. THAT is the legacy we get to leave behind.
So the next time you feel like you're caught in the carousel of routine, close your eyes and envision the man/woman you are helping to shape out of the tiny human you've been given. You're encouraging them in the gifts & talents you see they've naturally been given, so they can discover their purpose and be an AMAZING adult one day.
I was so encouraged by this, and I hope you are too!
Keep on keepin' on... I see you out there in the grocery store, the library, the soccer field. You're doing good work.
XO,
Linds
