Rewind...

I've been putting off converting twenty-some years of VHS tapes to DVD for too long!  So today I took the plunge--beginning with Christmas 1988.  
Watching our two boys at the age of eight and two and a half on Christmas morning brought an onslaught of emotions. I was aghast at how young Tom and I looked! 

As I made my way into 1989 and viewed one of Josh's basketball games, my motherly pride swelled as I watched him dribble with deft skill and make a basket for the "Green Hornets!"  My parents sat cheering on the sideline - both just about the same age I am now!

The emotional roller coaster ride I experienced was not what I'd expected.  My plan was to plow through at least a dozen by noon, and finish another twelve before dinner.  I was a train wreck by mid-day! 


The lyrics to the John Lennon song, "Beautiful Boy," came to mind as I continued to glimpse various moments in time: (How did they pass so quickly?) 

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."  

I yearned to place myself inside that video, push "re-do,"and re-live the minutes. Life is made up of moments that turn into hours and become days, and too many times as a mom, I missed it. 

If we aren't living in the present, in the here and now, we will miss it - those ordinary days that truly are extraordinary.

Our children are with us for such a short time.  What I would give to have one more day, one more hour with my boys. The cleaning and laundry and dishes will always be there, but our children will not. Seize the day!  Live in the moment before the moment's gone. Recognize the immeasurable worth of what's right in front of you!

Linger a bit longer as you tuck your kiddos into bed tonight and gaze back on those elfin faces as they sleep...tomorrow they'll be graduating high school and you'll be watching DVD's, longing to rewind!