Mother's Day

There are some nights that are just magical, like tonight.....

I softly opened the door to Judah's room, my eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness. I scan for the little lump that is Judah, but my eyes find only an empty bed with tousled covers. I turn my eyes to the floor, as my feet slowly creep along. I see him - clutching his sheepskin, half under the bed. I carefully pry his fingers from his "bed" and spread it out just how he likes it - flat side up, barely tucked under his pillow, smoothed down - just right. I bend down and gently lift my sleeping little boy - up, up, up, into his bed. His body snuggles down into position, his face buried in his sheepskin, head pressed up against the pillow. I place a whisper kiss on his temple, pull his blankets up around his little frame, and softly leave the room.

He never even knew I was there.

But I was.

And I did that thing that mother's do best - I cared for him.

The most poignant of moments, when our care shines brightest, comes when tucking our sleeping children into bed. It's when the love we have for our child consumes us. It's when I forget the times Judah cried when I told him no, or the times I felt the frustration rise in me from his stubbornness. There is nothing imperfect about my sleeping child. Nothing at all.

I quietly check on Eve next. All she needed were her blankets re-tucked around her. I gently draped the quilt over her petite body, kissed her hair softly and then listened for the breathing. I always do that - it's an involuntary action. There is something so comforting about hearing my child 's deep in and out breaths. I feel the release of my own breath as I hear hers, and I back out of her room.

Last was Daniel - and though he is my husband and not my child, I still feel the burden of care on my shoulders. I pulled the blankets up around his shoulders, kissed his lips, and answered his sleepy, whispered "I love you" with my own.

How we care - how we love - how we cherish. Mothers... God didn't create a more wonderful being.

On this Mother's Day I wish you happiness, and satisfaction in a job being done well. A day where you can rejoice for this gift of motherhood that has been given to you. And a day where you will be cared for with the same tenderness that you care for your children with.

Happy Mother's Day, my friends.