The Last Time

We never know when it’s going to be the last time.

The last time they hold our hand when we’re walking with them. The last time they come to our bed at night when they are frightened. The last time they ask us to cut their food. The last time they fall asleep on our lap. The last time we carry them up to their bed after they have fallen asleep in the car. The last boo boo we make better with a hug and a bandaid. The last bedtime story.

There may be clues that those last times are coming but we never actually register that this time will be the last…

Children grow, parents age, routines and patterns take on different forms. Such is life.

….

We must breathe it in as much as we can. We must love as much as we can. We must feel as much as we can. We must try to fully experience and enjoy all of our moments with mindfulness and presence.

Appreciating the moment (both good and bad) while IN the moment and framing it within the idea that ‘this won’t last forever’ helps to soften the inevitability of the last time…

Peace