The Dance

"Dance with me, Mama, dance with me!"  A skinny two year old waves his arms and spins in circles shaking his tiny hips to the music.
And so I do, and the baby who is not quite a baby at 15 months old joins in and we laugh and turn in circles, the three of us.  And I think "these are the moments I cherish."
And the two year old slips on his bare feet and his head slams against the wall and silence and then the cry that hurts a mama's heart.  So I scoop him up and he clings to me with his skinny arms and legs as his tears show themselves on the shoulder of my shirt, and I hold him and I dance for him while he cries....  And I think "these are the moments I cherish."
Because far too soon this little boy will be a big boy and then a man, and he won't need his mama in the same way anymore.  He won't wrap little legs around my waist and hold on tight to my neck while I whisper into his ear that he'll be ok.
And so I drink in the moment.  And thank the Good Lord for these sweet babies I have been given the privilege of loving and cherishing and teaching and training.  That I can show them by dancing and by sweet whispers of comfort that they are cherished and adored, by their parents on Earth, but how much greater by their Father in Heaven, who loves them with a love more perfect than mine could ever be.  And that I can whisper every day of His grace, His love and how He showed it on the cross and how their heavenly Father can hold them when they're sad - even when they're too big and too proud to let their mama see their tears.  But for now I walk with my snot stained shoulders, remembering every day, even the hard ones, when the tears are my own, that every day of this sweet season is such a precious gift.

Photo by Margaret Blades Photography