Monday, February 14, 2011

Five Minutes

A subtle, but perfect moment. Five minutes of joy as a family of three.

We sit squished on our two person loveseat. You, your dad and me.

I say to your dad, "I can't believe how lucky we are," and he replies "I know." And what do you say? "Yeah."

Daddy asks you for a kiss, and you willingly give. I ask you “Brayden, do you love Momma?” And you exclaim “Yeah!” and cuddle into my lap for a hug, laying your head on my shoulder.

I lean into your father and we settle into a family hug. You say “Dada, Momma, Bubba,” and I just feel so happy my heart hurts.

At 19 months old, you are so sure of our love for you. You are the center of our world, and you know it. I wish that certainty could always stay with you, but I know it won‘t. As much as it pains me to even think about, at some point you will question our love. It will happen when we make parenting mistakes, which are and will continue to be a common occurrence. I know bringing another child into the picture will make you, in your innocence and immaturity, feel like you are being replaced. It will likely happen when you are a teenager and I struggle thru your fight for independence. And the feeling might happen again when I leave this earth and leave you behind.

Whenever you feel this way, I wish you could see that scene. Those minutes where your father and I simply expressed our love for you, and you accepted it and loved us back. No conditions, no inhibitions. Challenges will come, and our family strength will be tested. I know I have remembered this moment to recover from sad moments and I wish that you could use it in times of need too.

A Dada, a Momma, a Bubba and five minutes of perfect harmony.



This week, we want you to imagine that after you have died and your daughter/son will be given the gift of seeing a single five-minute period of your life through your eyes, feeling and experiencing those moments as you did when they occurred. What five minutes would you have him/her see?

Note: I've been following this website for some time and even have done some of the prompts, but this is the first time I've felt brave enough to share. I have to say that I was deeply moved by Katie's amazing piece and felt like I needed to get my family's couch story down.

22 comments:

Erin said...

That is so sweet! I cherished memory! Those are the best to get us through the hard times!

Nancy C said...

I treasure these moments as well. There's something special, too, about experiencing it for the first time with your first baby. Magic.

Jessica said...

Such a sweet moment, I have one right around the same age but he doesn't quite get that only child feeling very often. So glad you take the time to cherish these moments.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Thinking I'm not the only one slightly scared of the teenage years ;-) Your family sounds perfect.

CaitsConcepts said...

I think every parent at some point wishes for the eternal innocence and trust of the early years. It's sad that they grow out of it.. I'm glad you captured that moment to share with him later. =)

Unknown said...

Those times of innocence are surely to be treasured. So glad you posted today, this is lovely and brings back wonderful memories with our first baby for me as well... :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, the family hug!

Makes me want to bundle up my son and go find his Daddy so we can have one. Right. Now.

tulpen said...

That's the sweetest age.

I do miss it, now that mine are older...

Nichole said...

Okay, you've left me all choked up with this piece!

I love this line, " you are so sure of our love for you." What an amazing feeling that is...to be sure of love.

Gorgeous post.

Anonymous said...

What a perfectly sweet moment!

Leah said...

So beautiful, these moments of motherhood. I, like you, fear the teenage years but I'm sure they'll have their own unique perfection

Katie said...

I LOVE this post! Those sweet, small moments are way bigger to me than any of my accomplishments that I could think of.

the accomplishment of creating a person and creating so much love is HUGE!

Not Just Another Jennifer said...

Such an important 5 moments to share with him! So glad you joined in. Great job!

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Those precious days and memories will carry you through it all!...:)JP

Annie @ astonesthrowfrominsanity said...

Those are the moments that get me through.

They are enough, aren't they?

lydia said...

I love life's beautiful moments like this one- you've described it perfectly.

Anonymous said...

The little in between moments are the best. So sweet to just relax and snuggle with your family. I love it!

Miri said...

Beautiful. My big girl is also 19 months, and I love the love of this age.

Anonymous said...

What a sweet moment to hold close and tressure.

I'm glad you posted!

The mad woman behind the blog said...

These are the best moments aren't they. Important for our children to know but just as important as parents and spouses to remember.
Thank you for sharing.

Amber Page Writes said...

I have tears in my eyes. I know exactly what you mean, exactly how that feels. This. was. beautiful.

Archie said...

Great writing!