It’s been over a quarter of a century since I penned the poem below, and in the spirit of the “older women teaching the younger women,” I’m sharing the poem and a quiet nudge to you young mothers out there. Take time to breathe. To enjoy. To delight. To savor the still moments of the nightwatch. As my mother told me, these days will go by in a flash. (And they did–the four kids on the haystack are adults now.) CHERISH the moments you have with your babies and young children, for tomorrow … they will be grown.
By the way, you may notice mention of only three children in the poem … and four on the haystack. God has a sense of humor. I got the chance to follow my own advice and to cherish the moments. And I did.
A Lesson–Too Late
Had I known how quickly they would grow,
I would have cherished the moments more.
Those still, dark hours of night
When there was only me
and the smallest cheek to touch.
I would have marveled more at the utter satin-softness
and grumbled less about the lost sleep.
Had I known how quickly they would grow,
We would have rocked and cuddled close
long after sleep returned
To close those infant eyes.
I would have hummed more tunes
into the hush of night.
But nights grew long and I soon lost
The joy of my night watch.
I longed for my own pillow, then,
And hastily rocked, put back to bed.
And now they are gone–those quiet nights
While Brooke, or Zach, or Shannon
lay in my arms, holding tight
To my robe, lest I leave.
Now Brooke is grown–and Zach too busy being “stwong”
to cuddle much.
And Shannon learns to crawl away
And sleeps the night. “At last!” I think.
So uninterrupted nights return and
I’m amazed to learn
That I shed tears for those quiet times, forever gone,
Of nuzzling and baby grunts and sighs.
My infant days are over now —
a new season of life unfolds.
But I would have cherished those nights much more–
Had I known.
CHERISH the moments you have with your children, for tomorrow…they will be grown. @notquiteamish
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