Moments

I hear other moms talking about sweet moments with their kids; one said something funny or did something silly. I see pictures on blogs of joyous family outings, smiles captured mid-adventure. And then I look at our family. I hear the kids arguing and complaining and speaking unkindly. It's hard to catch those sweet moments amid the chaotic and contentious norm.

Last Thursday night we had Pack Meeting. I mentioned it in my post about no one sleeping. We had eaten dinner early but had still gotten out the door later than we wanted. Somehow, though, we arrived early. We parked and Peter held the door open for all of us. The lights hadn't been turned on yet so we walked down the dark hallway toward the Relief Society room.

I was walking next to Bryan, holding Sophie in my arms. Silhouetted in the light coming from an open room ahead of us, Phoebe, Peter, and Cooper led the way. And then it happened. I was flooded with an overwhelming feeling of love for these five people. It took me by surprise and I tried to etch the image and the feeling into my brain. I took in a long breath and squeezed Sophie a little tighter. And then we reached the room at the end of the hall and that golden moment was over.

We have the normal chaos and stress of regular life. But I now have a beautiful picture in my head of my children walking in front of me in a dark hallway, and the lovely feeling that comes with it.