Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Celebrate their lasts.....

Celebrate Their Lasts...

When our children are young we treasure every first...the first laugh, the first tooth, the first time our child rolls over, the first time they walk.  Especially with your first child, each one of those momentous occasions are treasured.  I remember with Brandon sitting in his room for hours with the video camera trying to capture the first time he rolled over on video.  I was laughing and clapping as he finally achieved it.  I remember his first laugh, first real laugh, when he was sitting with his daddy. Dave and I had tears in our eyes as we celebrated our child's first laugh.  I remember holding Becca in my arms for the first time and thinking I am so blessed. I was amazed at this beautiful treasure that God has given us.  I remember playing with Rachael's curlies thinking I was the luckiest mom in the world....to have such a wonderful girl to love. I treasured them but time moves quickly.

When they are young we are so busy celebrating the firsts, that we forget to celebrate the lasts.
Sure we celebrate things like the last diaper, the last day of school, but  the precious ones usually go unnoticed and slip by without us even noticing...

The last time you nurse your child...giving them nourishment from your body for the last time
The last time you slip money under your child's pillow and take out a tooth hoping your child still believes in fairy tales.
The last time your child jumps into your arms with no fear knowing that you will catch them, no matter how far they fall.
The last time your child places their hand in yours because they know you will protect them from anything the world has to offer.
The last family baseball game, where you can never strike out.
The last time they come down the stairs Christmas morning and are actually surprised to see presents under the tree...still believing in the magic of Christmas.
The last time they did skits as a family and were unafraid to tell others that Jesus loves them so very much.
The last time you helped them tie their shoe, because mom and dad know how to do everything.
The last time we turned off the lights and played hide'n'go seek through the whole house,knowing that nothing can hurt us in the dark, as long as we are together.
The last musical at school,where we sat in the seats bursting with pride as our children sang and acted for our friends and family
The last football game, cheerleading, or swim meet where our children competed with no fear of failure or defeat.
The last time they ask for keys for the car, still needing you because they did not have their own.
The last time I got invited into their room at night to pray with them over a problem they had...and hug them tight telling them how very proud I am of them and how special they are to me...
The last camping trip, where they actually want to spend time with us as a family, and are not to busy to fit us in their schedule.
The last movie night, where Rachael would set up a store and Brandon would make fake money,just for us, to make our night special.
The last time they looked up at us with their adoring faces thinking we were bigger then life......

Time passes so quickly! If you have small children, make each day a celebration of the time you have with them. If you have teenagers, take the time to get to know the awesome people they are becoming.  If you have adult children, find time to connect with them.  Life is just a flitter of a moment. It is over before you blink your eyes.  It is too short to let a moment go by without telling your children how very much you love them, and how very proud you are of them.  Take time to celebrate the lasts in your life.....

Today was a day of lasts for me....Today we closed on my moms house...it is no longer in the family.  It is a happy, but a sad time.  I was not planning on going out to house today....I had so much to do....but then in my heart I knew I had to .  For one last time.  I thought I had the keys with me, but the ones that I had did not fit in the door...so I could not go in.  At first I was sad, but then I sat on the porch and wrote a note to the people that are moving in.  I had gotten 2 large mums and a sweet roll to put at moms house for the new owners.  I wrote them a letter and arranged everything in the entry way  As I walked around the house one last time I realized how blessed I was to have such awesome parents...they filled our house with  love and laughter. 
As I left moms house for the last time I was headed toward another last... I was doing a show at OLV where my dad was when they told us he was dying.  It was the last place he was before they transferred him to a Pittsburgh hospital. Then I had an eye appointment at the last place mom had her cataract surgery. Then I ate at Red Lobster with Brandon and our last "BURKE" get together was there. Wow, .I did not plan for all of this to happen on this special day...but God did.  I think it was a day of closure for me! 

 

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