Moments

So today Jules and I were running some errands after school. One of the stops we made was the post office to pick up our mail. When we were walking in, she asked me if she could open the mail box. I told her she could and handed her the key. With a few instructions she was able to unlock and open the box and then close and lock it after I emptied it. Then she asked me if she could carry the keys as we walked back out to the car. As I told her she could, I had this vivid memory of having the same exact conversation in the same exact building with Josh nine years ago and Adam seven years ago. That moment, and others like it, make me smile and get all misty at the same time. I smile at the joy and wonder of my children as they do the smallest things and all those amazing memories that I've stored up over the years. And I get all misty because those little kid days are over with the boys and going by so fast with Julianna. These days with the boys have joys of their own, even with the teenage moments sprinkled in. Even those moments have a special place in my heart. And as I repeat these early years with Jules, I am enjoying, savoring even, every single moment. Even the littlest things like getting the mail remind me of what a blessing it is to raise my own children. What a gift they are. What an answered prayer. What an amazing purpose God has given me as I walk hand in hand with these three little souls toward him.