Little Wonders...Small hours

I heard a song on the radio several months ago that for some reason just kinda struck me. It was Little Wonders by Rob Thomas. I don't know exactly what he was writing/singing about, but when I heard it I kinda thought about the time that I spend with my kids.

Sometimes, when things get a little stressful, I tend to take it out on my kids (and my wife - Sorry honey). I snap at them, or simply don't spend the time I should with them. I only get to see them a few hours a day during the week and then on weekends because of my work. I should pay more attention to that time and how we spend it. It needs to be memorable for each of us. It should be fun. It should be a learning experience for all of us.

Rob sings:
let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder
don't you know the hardest part is over
let it in, let your clarity define you
in the end we will only just remember how it feels

I need to learn better how to let the little things "roll right off my shoulder," because "in the end we will just remember how it feels." I don't want my kids to remember how it feels when their dad "doesn't feel like playing with them" or how it feels when Dad is irritated because the house is cluttered. I want them to remember how they feel when they're having a great time playing with me. How they feel when they accomplish something that they've not been able to do before. How they feel when they help someone else accomplish something special.

our lives are made in these small hours

What is my life made of? Being short tempered with my kids? I hope not.

these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate
time falls away, but these small hours,
these small hours still remain

Time has and will continue to fly by as parents. I still can't believe that they're going into the 4th grade, 3rd grade and just a year away from kindergarten. I remember when I was that age. As time slips away, and they grow up even more, I want them to remember the good times they had when they were younger. I want them to remember a happy childhood.

I pledge to work hard to make the memories my kids have of this part of their life full of fun and happiness.