I look at this picture and I don't know whether to smile or cry.
Maybe both?
I took this picture of our babes last summer at a playground in our small town. A little blurry, yes, but it still captured a moment in childhood that I remember feeling myself. I remember running around barefoot as a little girl, laughing and playing in the sun, never knowing the hour. Completely in the midst of time.
Now I feel like I'm chasing it.
How many times do I need to read this verse before I take it seriously?
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
- Psalm 90:12
I was ironing when I found my daughter beside me on my hope chest, all curled up taking a nap beside our window. I just stared at her, warmed by the sun's rays coming through my window. She wasn't thinking about what she had to check off her schedule, what project needed to be tackled. She was just content. Asleep. In the midst of time.
I'm learning that I don't have to be a perfect mom. I just need to be present. Available.
So, what ways is this imperfect mama making herself present and available with her two babes?
Well, right now I've been curling up with them, reading the classic story of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne.
Each day I read one chapter aloud to them. It is a chapter book with few pictures, but the timeless tale of The Hundred Acre Wood keeps both my 3 and 5 year old wide eyed. They just got through celebrating a birthday with Eeyore. Little imaginations :)
You don't need to be a hostess to be present with your children. Being available doesn't need to be planned out either. It happens on a whim, out of sacrifice of self, to place yourself beside them.
I actually love reading about Pooh bear and all his friends to my children. We read all sorts of books together throughout the day, but this particular read is just a special time for us. I get to be a kid again, enjoying the very things I loved as a child. Back to the days when I wasn't chasing time :)
Linking to: Growing Home, Far Above Rubies, Deep Roots at Home, Raising Homemakers, Raising Mighty Arrows, Our Simple Country Life, Women Living Well, Time Warp Wife, Our Simple Farm, Natural Mothers Network Homestead Revival
