Hearing Our Children's Secret Wish

You know, Mother's Day is right around the corner, and I am feeling super fulfilled in that role at this time in my life.

Although my counters usually look like some variation of the photo above...and then some, and I've got like one million balls in the air at any given moment...my days are also filled with these beautiful angels who bring me so much joy.

I've thought about them a lot lately, about what they need, and about what the secret desires of their little birdie hearts are.

I have this book here...this beautiful journal that my sister Dawn made for me a while ago.  Isn't it lovely?  I have thought about what I might use this for for such a long time, and this morning, I finally discovered the perfect use for it.

Autumn had awoken early and found me downstairs getting ready for the day.  She climbed into my lap, and I hugged and tickled her a bit, and then she said, "Carry me upstairs."  As I did so she said, "No, like a baby!"

In this exchange, Autumn was expressing to me that at this juncture in life, her secret wish is to be carried again by mommy...like a baby.

I came upstairs and the more I thought about it the more I realized that my children were each trying to share their secret wishes with me, and that it would mean the world to them if I would slow down and hear them.

I venture to guess that the reason why Santa is such a beloved figure the world over is because he allows little children to climb up into his lap and whisper their deepest, truest wishes into his ear.

I am sure that this is every Santa's favorite part of the job.  Well, he can have them one month out of the year, but I want my kids to know that my ears are their wishing wells every day of the year.

And I'd venture to guess further that this is the lesson for me to hear today as well...that our Heavenly Father's ear is always open to hear the desires of our hearts and that he delights in the whisperings of his "little children."

So, I pulled out this journal and started my "secret wishes" journal.

I already knew what to write for Scarlett and Guy too.  I'm looking forward to training myself to really hear and respond to the secret wishes of others through this special journal.  I love being a mother.  What a blessing.