Here I am. I am standing across from my husband and holding steady a heavy 4 x 4 fence post level while He pours quick-dry concrete into the hole surrounding it. I hear the faint laughter of my two boys. They are out of sight and a ways down our quiet street, but I can tell they are headed back to the house by the sound of their giggles drifting closer.
It is late afternoon and the sun is drifting over to the west, giving the sky that glorious bluish-orange hue. My husband and I have been working diligently trying to get all 30 posts in the ground all that Saturday, inching our way closer to erecting our much needed new privacy fence. Our little wiener dog, Sweet Pea, had been escaping out of the old fence daily. Her nose gets the best of her and she can’t help but do whatever it takes to follow a scent.
It had taken us a couple of weeks, working a few hours here and there as we could to demo the old fence. This meant she had to stay inside until we could find 15 minutes to take her for a much needed daily jaunt around the neighborhood. She was not happy about her quarantine and had been showing us her disapproval by pooping on the living room rug. I wasn't too happy about the situation, either, so I was anxious to get the fence job done.
Luckily, now that the boys are 5 and 7, I have been loosening the Mommy tether chord and allowing them to be in charge of running sweet pea up and down our street without me. At this particular time, I am so glad they were able to because I am becoming a little overwhelmed with our current fencing project. It it the end of July in Florida and feeling incredibly muggy and H-O-T. If it hadn’t been for sweet Pea’s constant escapes, we would have waited until winter to do the fence, but my concerns for our beloved pup’s safety was enough to move us forward with the labor intensive project.
So, here I am, tired, dirty, hot and sweaty, keeping an 8 foot, 50 pound post steady for the 25th time that day when my ears perk up as I hear the sound of Sweet Pea’s collar jingling, the sound of her leash dragging on the pavement and the most beautiful sound to me in the world - my two precious boys in breathless giggles. I know a vision of them will appear any second as they are heading back to the house and I look up just in time to see our little miniature dachshund running full speed, ears flying back, grin on her face. She is free of her young masters, running past our house with no one in charge of her leash. Here come my two silly boys running full speed after her - red faced, sweaty, laughing hysterically. In this moment, I take a snapshot with my mind to imprint that perfect vision into my happy mommy mental scrapbook. Every mom has one - that area of your mind where you cherish so many incredible moments experienced as a mother. God has blessed me in this moment. My attitude has been less than stellar, but witnessing thirty seconds of joy from my two children has turned my frown upside down. Yes, I admit it. I get distracted from focusing on my kids by the gazillion responsibilities I have. Yes, I get stuck in my head more times throughout the day than I’d like to admit. My children don’t always get the best of me and I often get frustrated with the school stuff, toys, sport equipment, dirty shoes and socks resting everywhere they do not belong. The laundry and dish monsters, the whining and sibling disagreements all overwhelm me most days. But, at the end of the day, I LOVE being a mom and I will never stop thanking God for the precious children that gave the name that so many other amazing women share...Mommy.
One day I will write a book and include this insight in it. The adventures of Sweet Pea - Tales of Brock and Kai from her little doggy perspective. What happened that made one of the boy’s drop her leash and what was she thinking about when she realized she was free of them? Only history knows, but one thing's for sure….I will honor these small moments until the day the Lord takes me.
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