"I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child can bring." ~ Liz Armbruster
Last night my oldest son had a nightmare and crawled into bed with me. In years past, he has called out to me and after a hug and kiss, he has gone back to sleep. Last night, he wanted to crawl into bed with me, and I was not arguing.
It's been years since I have cuddled up and smelled him while he slept. I rubbed his back and told him a story, we held hands while he listened to my heartbeat, and then when he was ready to fall asleep he rolled over and I admired him, listening to his breathing slow to a steady rhythm.
At 7 years old he tries to act like the older kids he sees in our neighborhood. He tries to ride his skateboard like them, he tries to talk back to me, he calls me "Mom" instead of "Mommy" around them and he yearns to be older. But last night, he was my little boy again and he needed me. I took that opportunity to wrap him up and hold him with all that I had.
This morning when I woke up beside him to the alarm clock sounding that it was time to get ready for school; I took another moment to breathe him in. His childhood innocence, the angelic look on his face while he was dreaming, the little mole on the back of his neck that I tickle every time I see it. That's my boy, no matter how many years go by.
What were you mindful of today?
