Love Always Begins with Patience

I have a sweet little girl that always wants to help me in the kitchen. I mean, always! Most of the time it's adorable. Other times I'd rather do it all myself, therefore finishing the task multiple times faster.

One thing I'm working on lately as a mama is fighting the goal-oriented part of myself and embrace each moment that my children want to be with me. There are many moments a day where Annabelle desires to spend with me. It doesn't matter if it's to help me do something I'm doing, to have me help her with something, play a game with her, read to her, brush her hair, tickle, hug or kiss; whatever it may be - she simple wants my time. And if I pack our schedule too tight that there is no room in it for a smoothie taking 25 minutes to make, then our lives are simply too busy.

A whole life can be lost in minutes wasted, small moments missed. ~A.V. 

There will be one day she won't be under our roof and I just know I'm going to regret all those times I told her to go play and I'll call her when the food is ready instead of pulling up a chair and getting out her special spatula she loves to use. And even when I convince myself that placing her at the kitchen table with a puzzle while I cook is "just fine" deep down I know it's not meeting that need in her heart to live life along side of me. I'm learning to slow down and let the little ones join me.

Time’s this priceless currency and only the slow spend it wise enough to be rich. ~A.V.

Yes, it means that more rags are soiled, clothes need to be changed, the first cracked egg didn't actually make it into the bowl, fruit needs to be washed and rewashed again because it has dropped on the floor, or the entire jar of salt was dropped into the freshly milled flour. But, oh how sweet that food is going to taste to that child if I hollow out space in our lives to embrace her with joy.

Memories she and I will remember forever.