A little off topic today… I hope you don’t mind… but I was thinking a lot last night. You see my kids are sick today. And last night was one of those nights when I didn’t sleep, because I was looking after one, then the other, then the other…
Sometimes I fall into the trap of wishing a hard period of time will be over. But I’m learning to cherish all the moments… even the hard ones.
Those kind of nights don’t happen often. They’ve both been sleeping solidly through the night since they were 3 months old, so it’s only sickness that breaks the cycle. But when it does, I don’t mind too much. Because that’s when I’m really doing something important. When they’re ill or plagued by nightmares, and I’m sitting in my rocking chair soothing them, that’s the most important work I do. That’s probably the most important work I’ll ever do. That’s when I’m making a difference. That’s when I shine. And those are the moments i’ll miss oneday.
I try really hard not to resent those nights when I have to wake up constantly. Not to get upset that I’ll be exhausted the next day. I’m learning to cherish them, to burn them in my memory – because someday, someday soon – it won’t be like this.
They’ll grow up. And I won’t get to hold them in the middle of the night.
And it won’t always be the case that I can fix all their problems, and take all their worries away with a cuddle, a kiss and a lullaby.
So for now, I’m cherishing those moments. Enjoying that for a short while, their lives are simple. For a short while, I can make it all better. For a very short while…
