Lord, Teach Me to Number My Days

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For the days spent mothering young children are few.
The long nights and endless days seem infinite, but time silently slips away. They are babies today, but will be grown tomorrow.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For these tired arms that hold children day and night will soon be empty.
The ache from holding growing babies will be replaced with an ache that longs to hold those children once again.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For these hands of motherhood will soon be free.
And while they may not miss changing diapers or picking up toys, they will miss the sensation of caressing a child’s soft hair and wiping tears from those smooth cheeks.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For these eyes that are open during the long nights will someday find rest.
But after they have rested, they will be opened to the realization that those long nights weren’t so long after all. And they will yearn to look into a baby’s eyes at midnight once more.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For the tears that cry for mama will one day dry up.
The children who long for my presence will one day declare their independence by stating they no longer need me. And I will wish that someone would be desperate for my presence again.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For the small hands that hold mine will soon let go.
My children will someday free their hands of mine as their desire for freedom grows. And that freedom will lead them to pursue safety and security in the hands of another.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For the feet that follow mine will soon turn the other way.
The direction of my steps will no longer determine the direction of those little feet, and one day they will follow a path of their own.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For the carseat will soon become the driver’s seat.
My driving companions will be driving a car of their own, making my daily commute just a bit too quiet. My children’s newfound freedom will make my own newfound freedom seem less appealing than I had imagined.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For one day my children’s significant mother will be traded in for a significant other.
The children who nestle their heads into my chest and request just one more goodnight kiss each night, will soon spend their nights in the arms of another.

Lord, teach me to number my days;
For these days spent mothering young children will soon be over. And the mundane moments of today will soon become the wistful memories of tomorrow.