Little Hands

I was washing my baby's hands after lunch today, and it struck me how very tiny they looked in mine.  She turned 2 at the end of 2016, but she is still so petite.  Her older siblings are huge on the growth charts (their Dad is 6'6", so it makes sense), while she is in the bottom third.  I always joke that I might just get one "my size!" 

You know those "calculations" that you can do to predict how big your kids are going to be when they finish growing?  My older two are both supposed to be around 6' tall.  My littlest probably won't be even close to that.  And that's okay.  They were made that way for a purpose.  And they are beautiful just as they are.

So much has happened in the last 2 months that it's amazing.  We had a mouse infestation in our house, which turned out to be both disgusting and productive.  I have never decluttered in such a ruthless fashion in my entire life!  I have gotten rid of over 20 garbage bags worth of donations in just over a month.

My husband had kidney stones and had to go back to the ER 3 times in one week.  Few things will make you appreciate the health of your family more than having a medical emergency.  And it brings to light the amazing community that we have to help with child care, meals, and just plain old fashioned contact as people showed us that they care.

We had a rental property be part of a drug/armed weapons raid.  And we found out on Facebook.  The only silver lining I've found from that one is that we now know the Rental Code better than ever before...

We had our baby girl partially dislocate her elbow on Christmas Eve.  She is double jointed and so we may have more of this in our future.  But if that is her only health complication, we are still so blessed!  As we spent Christmas morning in the ER (they know us well there), we had the chance to talk to the other people that were there for various reasons.  We had grandparent types reliving stories of their children when they were that age, letting me know that accidents will happen, kids will be kids, and that it will one day be something I miss.  We had people the same age as my parents talking about how their grandkids are meeting milestones and just how precious this time is.  So many "firsts" to be had.  There were staff members missing family events just to help us, and doing it with a smile on their face, knowing we didn't really want to be there either.

We had a friend lose his wife after a life long battle with heart problems.  We watched his community come together for him in a way that is beyond description.  I can't imagine the mixed feelings he has every single day about missing her in his life, and being so grateful that she's whole now, rejoicing with those she is joining now in heaven.

I had a friend suffer a shocking loss with such grace, it's difficult to fathom.  Her family walked through the loss quite publicly because they know God does everything for a reason, and maybe something great could happen out of their pain.  I still don't understand how they did that.  They allowed the world in to celebrate the life of someone who was truly a gift, and only wanted to do more for others.  I watched my kids pray in earnest for these people that they had never met, because they too know loss, but they also know the comfort of knowing you will one day see them again.  They helped me make gifts for them because that's what you do.  You reach out in love.

And what does this all have to do with those little hands?  Well, these last 2 months have flown by.  The last 2 years have flown by since I welcomed my final baby into this world.  And 5 years before that, her brother.  And 2 years before that, her sister.  And 2 years before that, the day I walked down the aisle to the man God blessed me with.

You see, those hands?  They'll never be quite that small again.  None of theirs will.  We can never predict what tomorrow brings.  I certainly never would have guessed what these last 2 months would have brought.  Definitely not what I had planned to happen!

So today, tell those around you that you love them.  Hug those close to you.  Say thank you to that cashier, or teacher, or cab driver.  Hold the door open just because you can.  We have such a short time on this earth to impact it for the better.  Start today!