Once upon a time, I was at K-mart with three small children in tow, ages 5 and under. I was spending more time instrucing the children on how to behave in the store than I was actually shopping, and was becoming frazzled.
A woman I had known from church since I was a teenager happened to be at the store and saw my plight. I had always known her to be kind, cheerful and caring, and never critical, which may have colored the experience. Her own children were older than mine and in a much different stage of life, but she had obviously been there with the preschooler and toddler stage. She came up to me and remarked that although it seemed like this stage would last forever, it would really be over in a moment, and I would miss having small children. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming witness that she was right, that this was but a small moment in time, and that I would miss having those small children to tangle with.
I took a "mind picture" on that day, at that moment, and it has stayed with me over the years.
I am so glad that she took the chance and shared with me that day.
No comments:
Post a Comment