The Days Went Anyway

 “The Days Went Anyway”

One day I picked you up and didn’t know it would be one of the last times.

Not the last forever.

Just one of the last before you became too big.

The truth is, motherhood is full of endings we don’t recognize while we’re living them.

The last bedtime story.

The last time you reached for my hand.

The last time you climbed into my lap because the world felt too big.

And somehow those little children grew up.

Now I watch you hold your own babies.

I watch you wipe tears, pack lunches, and kiss foreheads.

And while part of me misses the little version of you,

another part is overwhelmed with gratitude.

Because I didn’t lose those days.

I got to live them.

And what a gift that was.