I had a brief moment of clarity this morning, when I opened the car door to get my baby out of his car seat. He smiled at me, and I just felt so overwhelmed with love. All at once, I was aware of his tiny-ness, and how brief this moment in time is.

How many minutes – hours! days! – do I wish away? When I’m tired and ready for bed time, when I’m frustrated and happy to hand my kids off to someone else, when I’m just distracted by the computer or my phone or any other thing… Yet I’m sure there will come a time in life when I’ll remember these days so fondly, and long to hold my precious tiny kids again (who will by then be grown).

I don’t believe it’s possible to appreciate every single minute. But I am grateful for these quick glimpses at reality, when I can view my own life as a neutral witness, and realize how beautiful it all is.