on february 9th, i released and photographed some pink balloons in memory of a three year old, who passed away from a very tragic acccident. i continue to keep up with the mother's blog and her entry today has made me sob and think. think about life. think about my children.

sheye wrote about her journey, her regrets and her gifts. while her entire writing is poetic, one section that deeply affected me is when she writes about her regrets: not taking her daughter shopping with her more often (it will be easier when she's older), not letting her wear the clothes her daughter wanted to wear, not having the formal tea party she said she was going to have with her daughter...

while i hope and pray that i never have to experience the loss of one of my children, i also never want to regret anything as my children grow up. as they grow, i will progressively lose the time i get to spend with them during their different stages of childhood. soon, kiele won't want me to tuck her in bed. soon, skyler won't need my help writing her name on a piece of paper. soon, ryder won't want me to sit and watch dora with him. so, for me...no matter what, i will experience loss. a loss that can't be prevented. a natural loss. not a painful loss but a loss. i have already lost the baby stages of my children. knowing that this loss is a fact of life, i don't ever want to wonder "why didn't i do this or why didn't i do that with them".

i hope to not minimize anything that sheye has said or is going through. i share this because her writing is amazing and has affected me so. i share this because it's so easy to put off the little things when really, it's those little things that are so important, not only for us, the parents, but for our children. so, instead of sitting on the computer while "dora" is playing, i will sit with my two year old and watch dora. tomorrow, when skyler asks me to color with her, i will. childhood is too short. life is too short. may i always remember how important the little things are and may i never regret!