A hunger to be home...

One of the biggest things I've come to appreciate since giving birth to my Little Bear is the sweetness of being home.  I have always loved kicking back and relaxing in my own space, but it's become increasingly important to me lately.  To be home, in familiar territory, comfortable, quiet, and close.  I love enjoying a slow morning with him, gradually waking up and getting ready for the day.  We eat breakfast together, we venture outside to water the plants and hear the birds sing their morning greeting.  We read books and play with trucks and tractors.  Slowly the toy box is emptied and the floor is cluttered.  It is a gift to be able to spend my days with him - one that I do not wish to take for granted.  I have seen each of his milestones so far... the first time he smiled, cooed, laughed, pulled himself up, crawled, stood, walked... I can distinctly remember those precious moments.  How do I make sure those always stick in my head?  I never want to lose those memories. 

Of course there are errands to be run and people to visit with and things that call my attention outside of the house.  But I find myself trying to consolidate those things into smaller pockets of time all so that we have more time to spend in the comfort of our home.  In a world that moves incredibly fast, I don't want to get so wrapped up in going and doing and spending and finding that I forget to live in the smallest moments of life.  My son won't be little for long - his first 14 months of life have already flown by! 

It is fulfilling to be a wife to my husband and a mother to our son.  I don't need more.  Sure, there are things that I'd like to see and experience... I want to travel and show Little Bear just how big the world is.  I want him to know what the ocean sounds like, to smell the wildflowers that grow on the mountainside, to be free to explore and discover.  We have big dreams for our family. 

But more than all of that, I want him to know his Creator.  To understand the importance of family and to have deep relationships with people.  I want to teach him to be grateful for the little things in life.  How else do I teach him other than to be an example of exactly that?  That's what our time spent at home is for me - time to teach and encourage and be together.  It's the hunger of my heart.