Today I realized my house is very quiet.  Where did the sound of children’s shows on the television go?  The sounds of Barney, Little Bear and Rugrats?  Where are the fingerprints that used to live on the windows and mirrors?  Where are the toys that once seemed permanently scattered all over the floor? What happened to bubble bath time, I don’t want to go to bed yet time and story time?  A time when spelling words, flash cards, and science fair projects were an every day occurance.  Weekends were for little league, dance recitals or just hanging out in the backyard playing. I remember trips to the Zoo, Chucky Cheese and The Science center.  When did all that stop?

I don’t really know the day it all went away. Its funny how life just happens so fast you don’t even notice it go by.  Your right there smack dab in the middle of it all,  you blink and next thing you know that stage is over and you are in the middle of another.  Babies turn into toddlers and toddlers turn into Teenagers.  Toys are traded for first dates, dances and crushes.  One day you are pushing a stroller then the next thing you know your in the passenger seat of your car seat belted in holding on for dear life while your teenager is at the wheel learning to drive. I remember a time I thought I would never sleep again between the 3 am feedings, sick kids and new drivers out on Friday nights.

Those days are gone now, though it still seems like just yesterday to me.

My son is 20 and still lives at home with us.  But… does he really live here?  As the days go by I see him less and less.  When he is here its almost like I have a visitor.  I love sitting with him and talking.  I love visiting with the man he has become.

As for my girls they are all grown.   I now watch them having family’s of their own.  It’s a quite fun to see them doing all that mommy stuff I used to do.  They are in the middle of their lives their babies are growing up now too.  I watch as my grand daughter grows into a lovely little lady who looks so much like her mother looked at her age.  As I see my grandson toddling around and every so often I will catch a glimpse of another baby I once knew.  Life just keeps moving so fast.   I don’t dare close my eyes to long for fear I may miss something.  Each generation comes in like a tiny speck in time passing through leaving their own mark in the world.  It seems just yesterday my husband and I started our lives together as two, now we are many.  Our love was mixed together by God to grow into our children our family, a greater love than the two of us could have ever imagined.  Though my kids are grown up now in my mind they will be my babies forever.  We are all just passing through leaving our legacy to the next generation  🙂

Psalm 127:3  Children are the heritage from the Lord, Offspring a reward from him.

1 Corinthians 13:13  and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.