Glowing + Growing

“Catch Me, Mama!”

There are moments in motherhood that stop me in my tracks—moments that remind me just how fleeting childhood is. This picture is one of them. Lucy’s arms stretched wide, her laughter bubbling up as she leaps toward me, trusting without hesitation that I’ll catch her.

I know these days are numbered. One day, her leaps won’t end in my arms but out into the wide world. And while that truth carries a little ache, it also gives me the gift of perspective. The ache makes me savor. It slows me down, roots me in the present, and reminds me not to take one second for granted.

The beauty of being an “older” mom is that I see this stage for what it is—precious, irreplaceable, holy ground. At 38, when I had Lucy, I had already lived enough life to understand that these small, ordinary moments are actually the big ones. They are the ones we look back on, the ones that shape who we are as mothers, the ones we cling to when the house is quiet one day.

This photo reminds me that Lucy is still little. She still needs me to catch her—right now in the most literal sense, but for the rest of her life, in a thousand figurative ways. And I will always be there. My arms, my heart, my prayers—they will always be open wide.

So today, I’ll treasure the fact that she still runs to me. That she still wants me to catch her. That I still get to be the one she trusts most. These are the moments I’ll carry with me forever.

Leave a comment