Counting Moments

Along the way, I read a book entitled something like, "The Last Time." It chronicled all the "lasts" moms go through. The last bottle, last book read before bed, last sitting on the lap, etc. Those things we don't really note, but we notice, especially as they're slipping or have slipped away. I can't tell you when I stopped cuddling each of my kiddos before they went to sleep. But I can tell you I miss it like crazy and it's just not on a high schooler's list of needs or wants.

Today I sat in awe and was completely aware that I may have been living a very sweet last. My youngest is well into her teens, and I was able to pull off a very fun surprise birthday scavenger hunt with a few friends for the whole day. I handed them clues and missions as we went. They performed their tasks loudly with great joy and gusto -- starting with pictures of each of them eating Swedish Fish in a candy store. They ran from place to place shooting pictures for me to clear before they could move on. Busy. Silly. Fun. They enjoyed each other tremendously through the process. I mostly, soaked up conversations and giggles (and every song they've ever loved) over the course of about 7 hours. The girlfriends did a wonderful job of making my doll the princess for a day -- running around main street USA and a favorite mall taking pictures of their wild (required) shenanigans.

It was lovely, sweet and the kind of fun you can have with a 15 year old who still needs you to drive and who doesn't really mind having her mama in and around all the girl business. It is a day I gave to her, which turned out to be a gift for my heart to hold forever. Perhaps a last. Perhaps not. But most certainly a true and beautiful allowance of a day to be treasured for the moment in time it is.