– HOW MANY SUMMERS? –
I packed my boys back to school this week. My oldest is a Freshman this year, how did that happen? I don’t think I’ve felt these many emotions about a school year since the day I sent my little guy walking off into a world that looked so very large for such a little guy. His backpack looked way too big for him, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to let him go.
The other day I watched a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL7SobTAnuQ&t=13s by Jason Mamoa on Fatherhood that touched me to my core. He spoke about the impact we have on our children and how quickly our time with them passes. He mentioned the summers he has left with his children and I literally felt my heart squeeze. I started to wonder, how many more summers will I have? How many more lazy days to share adventures, laugh, cry, create stories….before they will be off making stories of their own? This is what I’m raising them for. This is the goal, to teach them to embrace life, to be brave and kind and strong. To follow their hearts and make God proud of the men they become.
I want them to follow their dreams, and I expect that will take them amazing places, places that I cannot even imagine yet. I’m seeing a love grow in them for exploring new places and trying new things, and it feels amazing to know I’m teaching them to embrace these things, to be open to new possibilities, to live, to do things they are afraid of, to conquer fears and learn new things. As I see them growing so fast it feels as if the world is spinning sometimes, I try to remind myself to slow down, take each day, cherish it, appreciate the moment for what it is. As parents, we are always dreaming of a bright future for our children, but it is today that we have, this moment, and this moment only, truly exists. So it is my goal to take each moment and let it be an eternity in itself. Sometimes a moment hits us and we know that it will be with us forever.
Sometimes it’s just something simple, watching the sunlight catch on their faces as they laugh together about how the grasshopper’s legs tickle…….these are the moments that are special. If they could see through my eyes, see the things that make them so special to me….it would be these simple moments, when we are hiking, exploring the world around us together, seeing the raindrops on the river, or the sun filter through the leaves, the wildflowers that cling to the rocks, sharing the beauty of this amazing world around us as we eat our lunch by the waterfalls, standing in our crowded kitchen cooking dinner together as they tell me about their favorite foods…..someday I’m gonna miss this. But not now, not in this moment. Right now I’m going to enjoy every moment, even the messy, loud, crazy ones……because these are my boys, they are my heart. I don’t know how many summers we have left like this…but I’m going to embrace each one for the precious gift that it is.
Hugs from my family to yours,
Ro