Just Breathe

As I was rocking my daughter to sleep night before last night I was glancing at the clock and going through my list of things to do before bed..empty the dishwasher, finish lunches, fold clothes in dryer..and as I felt her breathing even out and I knew she was nearly asleep. I laid her in the crib and, like so many nights recently, her head popped up. I put my hand on her back and rubbed slowly and I could hear her breathing even out again. Instead of rushing out, I stayed and listened to her soft breathing and pushed my list out of my mind. Instead I said a prayer for her and asked that whether she's 2 or 12 that I can still be in her room at night and feeling her peaceful breath and, in that moment, feel so blessed and thankful.

Those moments of her peacefulness remind me of so many times in my life. Moments when work was too much and I had to stop and take a breath myself. Moments when relationships weren't easy but a quick prayer and silence calmed things. But mostly the many moments in my dads last month where I would listen for his peaceful breathing each morning and pray that I could hear I still hear it and the ease I felt when I could. There are so many moments when the best thing to do was...just breathe.