Defining Moments

I think we sometimes have defining moments in our lives. I had one of those on Sunday night. Now what I mean by "defining moments" are those seconds, or minutes, that make us realize how important someone is to us. Let me explain. Levi, being the non-stop ball of energy that most 18 month old little boys are, was in the foyer playing with some of the older kids at church. Most of the adults were in the fellowship hall celebrating a birthday, eating and talking. Toward the end of the evening Jasmine came into the fellowship hall carrying Levi. She said, "He fell". Well nobody got too upset because he wasn't crying and there was no blood. As Kim took him into her arms she immediately turned and looked at me and said- "Mom!" in that tone that I knew there was something that she thought I could fix (that has been one of my biggest faults- I have tried to always fix things for the kids). Well not only was Levi not crying or bleeding, he did not seem to be breathing. You know how kids get hurt and cry and hold their breath for a long time- well this was like that only he was obviously almost out of it. For a brief moment we thought he was starting to have a seizure and then he finally began to cry. Well the cry lasted about 20 seconds and then he laid his head over on Kim and tried to go to sleep (something he never does.) Anyway, we would not let him go to sleep and Amy the nurse seemed to think he had got the wind knocked out of his sails so we pacified him by taking him outside where he proceeded to run around and act normal- quite the scare. This was my "defining moment" with Levi. Now don't think that for 18 months that I have not loved him, but this was the moment that I knew how much Levi really means to me. My "defining moment" with Addi came much sooner- at her birth. Because of the traumatic circumstances surrounding her arrival, and because of the uncertainty of what to expect, when I saw her alive and healthy, I knew just what she meant to me. I am certain that I will probably have a "defining moment" with Hannah, as well. I know I had one with all of my own kids- Kim, when she received a concussion at the age of 2, and Josh when he almost choked to death on Goldfish crackers, and Daniel when he and Josh took their "infamous" drive in PaPa's car up the guide wire of the power pole. Hannah, just let your defining moment be when you say "Granna" for the first time- that will be exciting enough for this grandmother.