There Will Come a Day

Not too far in my future, my big girl will not hold my hand when we walk to school. She will not trust me that everyone will be wearing a big snow jacket in the frigid rain, and her sense of style and dignity will outweigh her desire to be warm. One day she will not hug and kiss me or Daddy when we part at the school gates. She will not turn back around after 5 steps and exuberantly yell, "I Love You!" There will be a day when pretty hair clips and sparkly shoes will be a thing of the past. She is reading so well that the day when she stops asking me to read to her is approaching quickly. Some day soon going to Costco with the family will not be as exciting, and she will no longer want to browse the toy aisle but the music and the movies instead.

But that day is not today.

Today we skipped and held hands in the rain, in our big snow jackets all the way to school. Today she asked for a pretty hair clip. Today she put on her pink, starred backpack and gladly wore sparkly shoes. Today she was glad I walked in the gates and saw her off to the cafeteria. Today she hugged and kissed me, and turned around after 5 steps and said, "I Love You MOM!" Today when I pick her up she will hug and kiss me and hold my hand all the way home.

When that someday comes, I may grieve a little. I will be glad for all the new things she can do and the new maturity I see. I will fondly remember holding her small hand in mine and cuddling while we read. And I will celebrate that she is growing and learning.

But not today.