Cherish the Time...

The boys couldn't wait to get back to school, and it was very strange for me, knowing they needed to get back to their routine, but I didn't really expect the urgency that came... 15 minutes before we were to head out the door Monday morning, Anthony was asking over and over for his jacket. Daniel was right beside him - looking on expectantly. I find it amazing how you can all be so ready for school to be back in session, ready to go back to your routines, and yet yearn for that time off together. Stir crazy or not, days seeming to go by so slow, and still when they end it's ... "where did the time go?"  It seems like that happens with most things in this life. Waiting for the baby to roll over, sit up, begin to talk, begin to walk... and in what seems like a second, they are becoming their own person, going to school. As typical kids, we are always waiting for the "next" thing. To go to school, to ride a bike, to be a teenager, be 16, learn to drive, and so on. We are constantly looking forward instead of enjoying or learning from the "now".


All the years spent praying for, trying to have children, the tears, the disappointment month after month, year after year. We could be bitter, and I admit there were times that I was, but I learned to be hopeful in the midst of it. I learned that by allowing dreams to die, you die with them - I refused to let that happen. I found many things that I had to be thankful for in the process.  All of it melted away... because of two beautiful boys, who came into and blessed our lives by filling the space that was empty. It's so amazing how the bad things in life have a way of melting away when they are replaced by the wonderful things that were meant to be from the beginning. For us, it reminds us of how God works in our lives. It eventually teaches us something that we may not have known before, or needed to be reminded of something we had learned before. He doesn't allow us to go through bad, sad, or devastating things for no reason... they help us to learn, grow, develop in new ways and ultimately help someone else. They remind us that all we can do is rely on God to get us through what we need to go through.

                                         

Steve and I have learned now to be content in almost all situations, not because we are special in any way, but because of all we've gone through together. We know that we are blessed regardless of how things may look at the moment, we are learning to cherish every moment with our boys. Because of their special issues, it makes it so we may not get to go out on "dates" anymore (or very rarely), we are learning to make the most of the time we have with our family. We are grateful to have two wonderful boys who, no matter what the day brings, fill our hearts to overflowing.

We would much rather have the challenges today and be able to say we made it through (one way or another), than to not have the chance to go through them at all. I think Garth Brooks expressed it best with a song he did called "The Dance". If you've never heard it, check it out, if you have - please listen again.  We all have only so much time on this earth to have experiences. We can accept them or regret them. They can be either good or bad - try to find the good, or the lesson... so that in the end, you can remember it fondly or at least be able to say, you didn't miss the "dance".