Shaping his future

Some of my favorite times are the minutes before nap time or bed time. Jack is go go go... And then suddenly he's not. There's usually not a winding down period. He's playful and very much awake, then he's quite and very ready to sleep. He doesn't go down on his own (only one time in his entire 7 months), but he prefers to be held to fall asleep. I love those few minutes of snuggles as he drifts off to sleep. I often rock him and sing softly to him. He plays with my hair or the design on my shirt and smiles up at me. I love the connection. I love his surety of me as his Mommy. He is secure in my arms and he knows that I love him.

As I rocked my napping baby today I took the quiet opportunity to pray for him. I prayed for his growth, for his character, and for his future. I prayed for Matt and I and the struggles of parenthood that are sure to come. I prayed for Jack as there will be times of absence from his Daddy and for our upcoming reunion this next week. I prayed for Jack to become a man worthy of his wife and I prayed for his future wife and her parents.

It is the most difficult job, parenting. So much at stake. So much to invest in. So much that can be lost. I am working at taking each day, each new stage of parenthood at a time and trusting God to give me strength, patience, and wisdom to rear Jack.

I am eternally thankful for the opportunity and privilege to be Jack's Mommy.