I was lucky enough to have all four of my kids at home for the weekend. This might not seem like a big deal to some, but when you have three kids in college it is a huge treat to have everyone home at the same time.
I’m not gonna lie…I was so excited to see my guys. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning as I waited for each of them to arrive home.
And as I was standing there, peering out the window, waiting for the first glimpse of one of their cars to come around the corner, it dawned on me that I had 18 years with my kids at home living with me and I never felt this giddy before about them being here together.
I had completely taken that time for granted.
Time has a funny way of playing tricks on parents. When we are in the thick of motherhood we feel like our kids will be little forever. We are always running on empty, going a mile a minute — taking care of our children and tending to the house. We are just trying to survive — doing our best to make it through another day. Our kids are always together…fighting in the hallways, giggling on the couch, making a mess through dinner, running around and needing our attention. We grow so used to having them there that it is hard to imagine the day when they aren’t.
But then one day you wake up and your kids are gone. They may be off to college or have joined the military or got their 1st apartment. Their rooms sit empty. Their beds always made. No toys on the floor. No giggles echoing through the halls. No fights to break up. Their chairs are bare at dinner time. The laundry baskets are empty and the kitchen is clean.
Their absence is everywhere. The silence is deafening. The heartache is real.
