2012

I think I am coming out of my depression. At least I feel more motivated to do things. I don't really have anything new to say today, but I was looking through On This Day posts on Facebook and found the following that I posted in 2012. I needed to read this today. It was a good reminder: 

I was just looking through old pictures of Jacen, from when he was a newborn. I can't believe how much he has grown! You don't realize how a child grows and matures when you see them on a daily basis. His face is becoming so much more defined, and he's slimming up a little because he's getting taller. It's hard to believe he has already been in this world for nearly as long as I carried him in my womb. I know I will blink and he will be 12 years old, like Kayley. It's easy to get bogged down with all the hardships of parenting at times. The non-stop diapers and feedings. The temper tantrums. The sleepless nights. As they get older, it's the whining and hyperactivity. Then it's the teen attitude and the rebellion. But I urge all parents to take a moment and reflect on the sheer beauty of your children, on all the things that make them special and unique. Hold on to that precious child, even when the "precious" part does not shine through. Cherish everything about being a mother or a father, and count yourself blessed to be in charge of something so fragile and important in this world. Children are only loaned to us for a short time. Some are taken sooner than others; some grow up and leave us for families and careers. I am convinced, though, that no matter where they are, no matter what they do, regardless of how many times they break our hearts or exasperate our tempers, they will always be that same newborn baby in the pictures...and when you think about the fact that all of us were a sweet little tiny baby at one point, it kind of changes how you look at the people around you. We all still want to be loved and accepted, just as we did as babies. We are all still fragile and important. Let's treat each other as such.