I'm Not Blinking

This evening Jeff took the boys bowling for David's family night, which was Plan B because a storm cancelled our original (outdoor) plans.  Although I would normally have gone along, the two bushels of peaches staring at me from the top of the air hockey table convinced me that I'd better stay home and do something with them, so I had a date with the canner.  Moriah stayed home to keep me company.  :)  (And then she up and went to sleep.  Some company!  What's up with that?)  ;-)

While I had the house to myself, I turned the radio to the local country station, which I *never* do.  Not that I don't like country. I do, very much!  But because so many of the songs don't come close to passing the Philippians 4:8 test, I rarely listen.  Tonight however, I randomly decided to turn it on, and I was so glad that I did.  The reason?  This song.

How often I need this reminder!  How quick I am to forget to cherish each day with all of its mess and noise and, in the midst of it all, beauty.  

So.  I'm not going to blink.  My eyes are wide open.  :)

With such wide eyes, I notice things...and what's more, people.  People like Moriah...

...sucking on her two fingers.

We've never had a finger-sucker before.  Josiah used a pacifier, and the other three were all thumb-suckers.

But this girl - although she still occasionally sucks on her thumb or on three fingers - seems to be settling into a habit of sucking these two fingers.

I'm glad I didn't blink first thing this morning when I went into her room to get her out of her crib and found her like this.  I wouldn't have wanted to miss that.

I'm also glad I didn't blink tonight when the boys were all sitting around the table, after their bowling outing, eating chocolate ice cream from Kline's, our favorite local ice cream shop.  Jeff happened to mention someone we know who is going through menopause and needs a hysterectomy.  Knowing that those two terms were unfamiliar to the boys, I wondered what direction the conversation was going to go.  Sure enough, Josiah asked, "What's a hysterectomy?"  Jeff said something about it being an operation to remove a woman's female organs.  Since I was certain the "what's menopause?" question was coming next, I went ahead and said, "Menopause is when a woman's body stops releasing eggs."  Although I expected a "ewwww, let's not talk about it" response, I was surprised when David spoke up so quickly.  And then, when I heard what he said, I had to laugh.  Clearly he doesn't quite understand menopause; but his love for people, especially younger siblings, shone through.  "Please," he begged, "don't get menopause until we have another baby boy!"

I'm so glad I didn't blink and miss that little gem.  :)