These Moments

My cousin Debbie sold Tupperware back when I got married.  Before the wedding we had a Tupperware bridal shower of some sort where I got a ton of Tupperware.  One thing in particular that I remember was a dish that was the perfect size for making meals for two.  We used that salmon colored dish constantly.  We lived in this little apartment in our little college town.  Other than our neighbor's maybe seven year old son who would come and ask if Neil could play, or an occasional study group, it was pretty quiet in our place.  Most of our college friends were single at the time, and they didn't like to come over to our apartment much . . . the assumption was that we were always "busy", and I don't mean busy with schoolwork ifyouknowwhatImean, being newlyweds and all.  So it was a bit on the lonely side until we got to know some other married couples.

Fast forward to today.  Life is very rarely quiet.  Our house is typically messy, it just is what it is.  When I buy food, it disappears quickly, so it seems as if there is never anything to snack on.  That salmon colored dish has fallen to the wayside after being relegated as too small for anything other than a side dish. In life we do a lot of running around, taking kids to friend's, school activities, youth group activities, and everything else.  I always have a list of appointments and phone calls that need to be made.  Sometimes I can become overwhelmed by all that I need to do but can't quite get accomplished.

This past week I was making dinner, and I was looking around grumbling to myself about how lovely it would be to have a table free from paperwork, when it struck me once again.  Life is so fleeting.  This time, it is zooming by, and soon Neil and I will be back to a quiet, possibly clean, house once again.  In the blink of an eye this stage of life will be over and I will be reminiscing about the days when I was feeding teenagers and cleaning up the same spills over and over, and maybe even laughing about the constant mediation of arguments between siblings. Or not. ;)

Having kids is not something I want to take for granted.  It is an awesome, sacred gift that some days feels like more than I deserve.  I do not feel worthy of the responsibility that God has given us.  In those moments, where I can see the place that I am in right now, I so do not want to have regrets.  I want to have an attitude of appreciation for this stage of my life where I am able to serve my family in a way I never will be able to again.  It is an act of service to clean up those spills, to make a meal that our family can enjoy together, and even cleaning those toilets.  Some people would do anything to be able to have the privileges that I complain about.  I am spoiled rotten.  There will be plenty of time for cleaning, for now I want to focus on enjoying the moments, and being thankful for what I have.