You can’t stop the clock.
One night Michelle and I pull into the garage. It’s 10 pm. The kids were up WAY later than usual. No surprise, they are asleep in their car seats. 4 year old Bailey sits in the 3rd seat in our SUV. I unbuckle her and try to somehow get her out of the car seat. (It’s not easy!)
Do you ever have one of those moments when you wish you could just stop time for a while?
“Bailey you need to take a step so daddy can pick you up.” (I can barely reach her from where I stand at the car door.) She takes a groggy step towards me, enough so I can grab her. As I do that, she goes limp again and puts her head on my shoulder. As I carry her upstairs to her room, I get a little sad. How many more times do I get to do this? To carry one of my kids upstairs to bed?
I lay her in bed, and tuck the covers around her. Half asleep, she says “Daddy, can you turn on my music?” So I flip on the ipod in her room (most common request is the Dixie Chicks). Then I give her a kiss and tell her our saying. “Sleepy tighty, bed bugs bitey.” (It has evolved over time from “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.”) I close the door with a click, leaving me standing in the hallway alone.
It’s these moments that I realize how short life is, and how quickly kids grow up.
I wish I could stop time for a little bit, just a few minutes so I can remember what this is like. But, no, we can’t freeze time.
Time continues to march on and on and on. And we all have to make the most of it, reminding ourselves what’s really important in life.
P.S. Email me a story from your life – when you wished you could stop time for a minute.