Time won't wait

Nicholas is 6.  Today while at work I missed him.  I thought of him at school, in his uniform.  Was he in class?  Was he playing?  What was he doing?  When I came home I held him and I kissed him.  Whenever he walked passed me I kissed him again. I sat and talked to him while he had his bath.  He told me about his swimming lesson and talked about his lego.  These days I seem to be more aware of time passing too fast.  So I looked at photos of Audrey when she was a baby.  I find this clip and feel that she has already grown up so much in just a year.

The other day I read about keeping a marble jar for your child.  So often it is too easy to focus on the negative - "stop that" and "don't" or "leave that".  I remind myself to lighten up - praise and encourage.  The idea of the marble jar appeals to me - when they do something good, put a marble in the jar.  At 10 marbles take them for a treat, build it up to something spacial.
I also read a blog that I came across a few months ago.  A tragic story of losing a child.  I came across it again.  One of the most recent posts was about helping an older child through the grief.  Again about holding, loving.  Nothing is more important than this.  I pray for grace and patience.