This moment. The one with a fussy 4 month old sprawled across my lap as hazy light from the full moon spills in the living room window. This moment will never exist again, except in my memory. There will be new moments, similar moments, better moments, worse moments, but this particular one will never happen again.

Through the trying moments of parenting young children and toddlers, this is what I want stamped upon my mind every second of the day–That for all the petty irritations and frustration, this is over in an instant. And that goes for the good moments as well as the bad. 

So, with this babe weighing heavy in my arms, or the toddler taking bites out of the butter, or the very vocal disappointment of a 4 year old, I pray not for a different time, but for the wisdom to accept this moment as it is, and grace to react with the kindness that I won’t regret when this moment is over.