A day in the not-so-distant past, I was the one reading board books to my daughter. Then I blinked, and now she’s the one reading the exact same books to her little sister.

Because she can read now. READ!

And I guess it took one of these full-circle moments on an ordinary day to remind me just how fast the time is going.

It can be so easy for me to focus on the exhaustion. The meltdowns. The attitude. Some days have me so deep in survival mode that I can’t really see much else.

But then there are days like today. Where she’s playing well with her sister. Where she’s being a big helper. Where she’s sweet and silly and says things that literally make me laugh out loud.

And these are the moments that make time stop for me. The moments that force me to pause, slow down, and soak in the last bit of her littleness while I still can, because I know I’m running out of time. I can feel her slipping through my fingers every single day.

And the days can be long…so painfully long. But the years? They really are going by as fast as they said they would.

So on days like today, I will choose to stop the clock, bottle up her laugh, and memorize her beautiful face that keeps looking older by the minute…and thank God for both the perfect little girl standing in front of me right now, and the amazing woman I know she’s going to grow up to be.

Because tomorrow, she’ll be just a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and a little bit closer to spreading those wings and leaving the nest. And I don’t want to miss any opportunity I have to hold her close while I still can.

---