"Just a quick question"

That's a familiar line I hear at MOPS each week. Often as I am walking in or out of our MOPS meeting where I am a Mentor Mom, I am stopped by a young mom. "Can I ask you a quick question" she might ask? I know I need to keep the answer quite 'quick' too because she often has 3 toddlers hanging on to her and they are tired and hungry after a morning of play. This week the question was, "What age did you enjoy the most when your kids were young?" Ummm, quick answer, huh? Surprisingly the answer came to me quite effortlessly because I had pondered that question myself as I journeyed along as a mom when my kids were young. I kept wondering when 'my favorite age' would come and wondered how would I feel when my kids passed through that age and I would be on the down side of enjoying them. What a bummer that would be, I thought. My answer to the young mom was a quick, "I'm still waiting for that very special age to come" (and I have 3 adult children!). I quickly added that every age up to now has been special and a favorite in their own way and each year, even up into these adult years have been enjoyable. Certain memories of different ages bring back moments of special joy, but God has made a mom in such a way that her plate is full for so many years and when her plate starts to empty, she finds her heart has filled to overflowing and that makes motherhood a job like no other.
I wished the young mom a 'great day' and reminded her to make the most of it. Today could be her favorite day so far!