on mothering

We just put our youngest daughter on an airplane headed to Europe. She will be spending 4 weeks with a family in Montpellier France, hopefully improving her language skills in the process. I miss her already. The house is so empty now, with no children in it.
We knew these days would come, but who woulda thunk it years ago, when we were wrestling with crying babies, sleepless nights, and overflowing diaper bags? I always thought that by the time the last one left home, there would be grandbabies to love and cuddle. I guess it is a good thing that God called me to be a midwife - I get to love His children and then hand them back to their earthly mothers.
Mothering is not always easy, not always fun. But I wouldn't have traded a minute of it for anything earthly that I can think of.
You who have young children, don't get so caught up in the minutiae of their care that you forget to savor the moments. They pass too quickly.