moments

It is the evening of my youngest son's 14th birthday.  There is a lasagna in the oven (his request) and a chocolate peanut butter cream pie chilling in the refrigerator.  I'm sitting here on the couch, a honey latte to sip, a dachshund on my shoulder (it is as true as you can imagine).  The guys are outside setting up a new basketball hoop. 

It's a funny story really, the one about the basketball hoop.  The hoop is a joint present. Since Blake's birthday is today and Austin's is in 2 days we got them both the hoop and were planning on giving it to them tomorrow.  Well, I let it slip that we had a gift for the both of them but they'd not get it till tomorrow.  They begged to get it today.  Their dad told them they'd each get once guess and if either of them guessed correctly they'd get the gift today.  Well, you'll remember I told you they are outside right now setting up the hoop.  In all honesty neither of us thought they'd guess it right.

I know every mother laments about how quickly their children grow up and I'm no different.  It all happens so fast.  One moment you are washing sippy cups and the next you are barreling headlong through the teen years, and I know, by watching other mothers that I'm going to wake up one morning and they will be grown men off on their own adventure.

So for now, I try to remember to take moments, little moments to savor and write into my memory.  One such moment happened on Sunday at church.  I was playing the piano a few minutes before our afternoon service began.  My husband came behind the piano (truth be told he had run to the coffee stand and was delivering me a white mocha).  Anyhoo, as he was with me, both of our boys came up to the piano and we all gathered there, chatting easily.  Times like that reassure my mothering heart that we are still close, still connected like we've always been.  Years have a way of shifting relationships and as much as I would love to have a young boy climb up into my lap to read a book with me, I have teen boys that have grown taller than their mother, with thoughts and dreams independent of my own.

Back to the celebrating.  Hug your kids.  Savor the moments because the moments build a life.