My Baby, A Sunbeam

I don't typically take photos at church. In fact, I never have before, until this last Sunday, when I had to borrow a friend's phone to do so.

I'll explain/justify/rationalize why now.

In our church we have an organization for the children, ages 18 months-11 years old called Primary. From 18 months-3 years old they attend a Nursery class, then the children officially join the older children in Primary the January following their 3rd birthday. They join the 3 year old class known as, the Sunbeams. It's kind of a big milestone.

It's an even bigger milestone when you're the baby of the family. As is my little Drew.

I am one of the Primary leaders, and as I sat in the back of the Primary room on Sunday, I noticed Drew's little legs swinging under his chair. My very first thought was, his feet are going to touch the ground soon!

I know I talk a lot about taking "mind pictures," and this moment was certainly one of those mind memories I'll forever have. But there just seemed to be something about my baby, sitting on the front row of Primary that made my eyes get all misty, and I had to ask my friend if she had a cell-phone I could borrow.

A few seats over from Drew sat Drew's little friend. I thought about it being his first day in Primary too. I thought about his mom, my good friend, and wondered how it felt for her sending her oldest to Primary.

I remember Megan's first day in Primary in January of 2002. Mike and I were team-teachers in a Primary class back then, and we sat in the back of the room, while Megan, wearing a little knit purple floral Baby Gap dress sat on the front row. I had no camera to take a photo of her then, and even if I had have had one with me, I likely wouldn't have taken a photo. I don't think I would have known back then what exactly I was taking a photo of.

Although I clearly took a mind picture 11 years ago of Megan's first day in Primary in her little purple dress. I remember little else of that day. This last Sunday, it wasn't the picture of Drew in his black sweater vest, and crisply ironed shirt I wanted to capture. It was those swinging legs of his that are too short to touch the ground.

Perhaps Megan's legs didn't touch the ground either. It's likely Luke, Ellie and Joshua's didn't either on their first official day of Primary. But there was something about those swinging legs of my baby, that brought it all into perspective. In that moment, those little swinging legs reminded me of my oft-repeated phrase, the days are long, but the years are short.

Nothing illustrates that favorite phrase of mine more, than my baby reaching milestones.