Time Goes By...

One of my aunts passed away yesterday of an aneurysm(??) and it really made me think about life and family. I loved my Aunt Judy dearly, but in the last few years we had not been as close as we could have been. Being there with my cousins and family in the hospital reminded me of all the moments as children that we shared. Family is so important!
I remembered all the times she would pick me up from school and take me to my grandma's house. She was full of life. Always enjoying current pop culture. She loved music and all things Cubs. My brother and sister are extremely close in age to my cousins, so we did a lot of things together.
It is important to form those close family relationships when you are young. I remember spending all of our birthdays and holidays together. My ENTIRE family: aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. It was a charmed life. As adults, you always wish for those perfect, beautiful memories to return. It just doesn't happen. We grow up and start our own families. We create our own traditions and spend our time with our immediate family. The huge number of people prohibits constant togetherness. I miss those idealic times of childhood. I miss the carefree life that kids have, no worries.
I want to create those same memories for my own children. I want them to love each other and their cousins. To be close and share those memories and experiences. Being a mother, I feel that I am the caretaker of my children's childhood. I shape their life and their future. At times, it feels like an impossible task to create that perfect dream of happiness. When I feel like that, I remember it happens one day at a time, one memory built upon another.
I hope that I can create that idealic childhood full of magic and love for them. I try everyday. Sometimes I wish I had a do over, but mostly I am proud of the life we are building for our children. I go forward each day with faith, love, and hope that my children will look back on their childhoods with fondness and a little longing. That they will know that they were loved and cherished. That they will cherish that family bond and it will perpetuate to their children and beyond.
Life is so fleeting. I was reminded of that yesterday. I held my children a little closer and hugged them a little longer. I am so thankful for the knowledge that families can be together forever.

"To you parents, express your love to your children. Pray for them that they may be able to withstand the evils of the world. Pray that they may grow in faith and testimony. Pray that they may pursue lives of goodness and of service to others. Children, let your parents know you love them. Let them know how much you appreciate all they have done and continue to do for you." -Thomas S. Monson