This Loved

I saw this image last week on Facebook and the words have been reverberating through me every day since:

"You will never be this loved again."

I believe this to be true. The love from our children is an extraordinary gift. I'll be the first to admit that I take it for granted sometimes.

That I sometimes find myself saying "Get off of me!" or "Not right now" or "I just need some space".

All completely normal reactions from a mom. All completely legitimate.

But then I think about why I am saying these things and what I'm responding to: I'm responding to the fact that my kids can't get enough of me. I'm not trying to be egotistical, but it's what's at the heart of every single one of their requests.

They want me. They want me to play with them, hug them, run with them, paint with them, laugh with them. They just don't get sick of me and they always want me around.

"You will never be this loved again."

So instead of letting exasperation seize the moment when my kids want one more thing from me, I'll try to remember that this moment, in which they want me, is fleeting. The moment will come when they won't and I know it will sadden me. Until then, I will soak up all the love from them that I can get.