Friday, June 19, 2009

slow dance.

This morning I was standing at the sink doing dishes while the boys played on the kitchen floor nearby. I heard a soft 'thud' and turned to see that Gabriel had accidentally knocked Eli over... and Eli was not very happy about it. I quickly picked him and kissed his cheeks and for a moment, he was silent. When I returned him to his spot, though, he erupted anew.

I just wanted to finish the dishes.

Gabriel wandered away from his wailing brother, who had come over to attach himself to my leg to really drive home the point that he was deeply, irreversibly, emotionally damaged.

Just these silverware, I told myself. I'll do the silverware and then I'll comfort him.

As I rinsed a fork, I glanced down at my little man; just a fraction of my height and embracing my calf like it was a life preserver, he had tilted his head back so I could fully observe his chubby, tear-drenched cheeks.

So I turned off the faucet. I left the dishes in the sink to go sit on the kitchen floor where I was accessible to a distressed toddler. He collapsed onto my lap, wrapped his arms around my neck, and buried his face in my shoulder. He sighed.

This song was playing on pandora.com while we sat there. He let me sway a little as I held him, let me dance with him. And I was so glad that for once -because I don't always do it- I chose to snap up a moment I would never have wanted to miss.


2 comments:

This Heavenly Life said...

It's those moments that steal you away from your own plans that often mean the most, huh? I find myself in this situation alot - only in the second half where you surrender yourself to your child? I do that far too little. Here's hoping you'll inspire me to remember. You and Colbie Caillat.

Amanda said...

This is so sweet! And something I'm trying to learn myself - since I'm only now expecting my first baby, my husband and I are used to having things in order and being able to complete the things we start in our own time. I keep trying to remember I'll need to really focus on "people before things"! Your post here is a beautiful reminder!