The Little Things

Since Jake and Ethan were babies I have enjoyed laying with them while they go to sleep on occasion, as I think most parents do.  It would make me smile just thinking they felt safer going to sleep with daddy by their side.  I would sing songs to them, or help them if they were having a hard going to sleep by rubbing their backs, or running my fingers across their forehead and back through their hair.  It has always been a simple pleasure that I knew would be coming to an end as they become older.

Tonight I laid with Jake here in the hospital while he went to sleep and sang "itsy bitsy spider" and his personal favorite "on top of spaghetti".  After a couple of minutes he was fading away, with his eyes closed, hanging on to consciousness with a slight smile on his face.  I took my hand and ran my fingers through his hair, after a minute or so it hit me that this was the last time I may ever be able to do that.  He started losing his hair at a pretty rapid pace today, and the back of his head is pretty sparse already.  We have talked about going ahead and shaving the rest of his head tomorrow because it is causing him some irritation on the back of his neck.  So even if his hair takes a few more days to completely fall out, he won't have any by tomorrow night, or any other night for the next year until his hair grows back.  At that time he'll be almost 5 years old, and getting too old for daddy to lay with him, singing songs and rubbing his belly.  It really got to me, it was the first time my emotions really came out in Jake's presence.  Fortunately he was asleep, on his way to dream about Spiderman, Lightning McQueen, or just being home with his brother and sister.

I am sharing this because everyone should stop and enjoy their simple pleasures, the "Little Things" that make each day special.  We've said before that tomorrow isn't promised, and the little things we do day to day won't necessarily always be around.  Never be too busy to be your children's teddy bear, playground, or opponent in a game.  Some day they will be older and you will be replaced by friends, or worse yet something happen and time be stolen.

Cherish each day, and it's little moments that make it whole.