baseball through the front window

once upon a time there was a mother...
She was just an ordinary mom.  You know, you've seen a thousand of them.
exhausted, tired, and overwhelmed from the everyday tasks and decisions that constantly fall to her.
{whiney voices that never seem to stop!}
"do I have to eat my carrots?"
"where's my sock?"
"do I have to take a bath?"
"so-and-so touched me"
"is my blue shirt clean yet?"
etc, etc, etc......

once upon a time there was another mother...
This one a little more seasoned and a little older and wiser.
The older mom lovingly welcomed the children into her arms and home.....for days.  Soon the days grew into 2 weeks.

Let's go back and visit the first mom, shall we?
She was sitting alone in a silent quiet house listening to the water heater kick on and off.

The first few days were glorious.  Honestly the first week was pretty magnificent with no bedtime, schedules, and sinks overflowingly full of dishes. 

Soon this mother realized that she lived in a home

without the little footsteps,

without voices that go from giggles to arguments to giggles
without the asking and asking for cookies
without all the squeezes and hugs 
without the bedtime stores and kisses.

All of a sudden a thought struck her like a baseball coming through the front picture window.   Many, many elderly woman had told her something through the 8 years she'd been titled as a mom.  Those woman would touch the children's heads, smile quietly-lovingly-patiently and with a far away look share some story of their own children.  Then the older lady would matronly look at the tired young mother (who was balancing a baby on her hip, holding onto the toddler's shirt tail, and watching two other children in opposite corners of the room at the same time.)  
The words were always the same.  "Remember, dear, this is the best time of your life."  While accepting the advice this young mother would smile graciously than remind her own self that "Grandmothers just don't remember....everything."

You know what.  They're pretty smart.

This baseball through the window moment is all due to the "other" mother.  The one I lovingly call my mom, these days alone have truly shown me that now is the best time of my life.   I want to enjoy and cherish it to the fullest!