In the course of the reflection I realized something- My youngest daughter held my hand the entire time. From the time we got out of our car, in the parking garage, until the time the concert ended and we returned to our car. She even held my hand when we went on a search for cotton candy.
That’s something I need to cherish. The end of the line could come at any point. She turned 11 over the weekend. She’s a bonafide pre-teen. Trust me, she’s got the emotions and the drama to prove it!
Truth is- we passed hundreds, if not thousands, of fathers, mothers and their daughters on Friday night, as we made our way to our seats. I would venture to say almost none of them were grasping onto their parent’s hands the way mine was. She never let go. I’m not making that up.
It warms my heart to think about it. It’s those little things that I don’t want to miss- holding my hand…jumping up from the table when I come home from work and running into my arms….wanting me to be at her dance recital or choir concert…not caring that she’s 11 and holding her daddy’s hand at a concert.
I take them for granted so often. I find myself in a mode of operation where I actually believe there will be un-ending recitals to attend, soccer games to cheer her on, or opportunities to hold daddy’s hand.
And what about bedtime snuggles and prayer time? When will she stop asking me to pray with her and tuck her in safely? Sure, I’ve got a ton of stuff to do around the house. I admit- there are times when I roll my eyes at her request because I just hugged and kissed her goodnight downstairs before she headed up to bed. I need to take a step back and notice the time. It’s not slowing down. I will blink and she’ll be living in a college dorm somewhere. My only goodnight wish then, will be over the phone, or worse, over text, if I’m lucky!
I was on Twitter yesterday and I noticed that a friend had posted a picture of her daughter as a little girl, sitting at a table, with her tea set all arranged and waiting for Barbie and Teddy and maybe a few other friends to join her for afternoon tea. The caption under the picture simply said- “Where has the time gone? Seems like yesterday. She’s grown up now.” Her daughter is a senior in high school and will be graduating next month. Yep, time is not slowing down!
Trust me, I’m not intending this post to be a lament. This is all part of life. I’m well aware of that. I’m thankful that I’ve lived mine with little regret. But it’s these little things that pluck my heart strings and make me realize how much I need to pay attention to, and cherish deep in my heart. As much as I’ll celebrate the day we watch her graduate from high school, or make a life-long promise to her prince charming, I’ll miss the days long-gone when she wouldn’t let go of my hand!
How about you? Have you realized the little things lately? What are they in your household? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post in the comment section!
