Ukraine Adoption

The gift of time

The television was off and I was in the family room folding laundry last week, a magazine perched on the couch next to me. After a few minutes, I noticed something peculiar: Silence. No one was asking me for something, or fighting over the TV, or telling me they were hungry.

I listened again. Nothing. Concerned, I went upstairs and found every one in their rooms (John in his office) and they were all busy with their own activities. I slipped back down to the family room, unnoticed. Without even realizing it, my family had given me the gift of time. Peaceful moments, and I wasn't even stealing them.

As Tara gets older, I notice that I'm getting little pockets of time when I least expect it. And it's simply lovely. She will be 5 years old next month and has definite interests. This does not mean she has stopped following me around when I'm cleaning until I spin around and bump into her by accident. In fact, last weekend I was trying to squeeze in a 10-minute power nap and she came in my room with her automatic keyboard and announced that she was going to play my favorite song for me while I "rested." It was kind of loud...

However, I remain optimistic that these pockets of time will continue to increase and some day I will wish I saw her little face waiting for me as soon as I exit the bathroom door. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the occasional gift of time.