Today I was inspired by a mom and a daughter walking the indoor track together at the gym.
I had dropped my energetic 2 year old off at her “class” and headed upstairs to run on the treadmill. My new favorite spot is the treadmills that face the track…it gives me one more thing to look at as I run. This inspiring duo walked by just chatting away. The daughter couldn’t have been more than 7 years old. My first thought was, “What a great mom, I don’t think I would ever let any of my little girls walk around with me when I was trying to get a work out in.” (I know right? I should get the mother of the year award. It’s the truth though and since we’re real here, I’ve got to speak the truth.:-))
My brain’s wheels spun a bit about this until they came around again…they were still talking. The little girl would look up at her mom and her mom would look down at her and they were just walking and talking. Every single time they walked by, they were talking. The track is 1/8 of a mile, so they walked by a lot. I don’t know how long they were there before I got there, but they were there over 20 minutes of my run. I should have gotten off and talked to them and asked for a picture, but I didn’t want to be creepy and it was my precious workout time. (Ugh…as I’m writing this, I’m realizing I may need to be a little less possessive of my 30 minute workout time:-)). The crazy child free workout mama in me beat the paparazzi in me and I left without a picture, but that image that I saw over and over again made an impact on me.
Towards the end of their walk, I could see pain on the mom’s face. I don’t know her story. She may have a temporary medical condition that limits her, or maybe she was recently diagnosed with an illness, or maybe she’s had to battle a chronic illness for the majority of her life. I don’t know. But I do know that they taught me a powerful lesson; the need to sacrifice for our relationships.
It’s easy to sit through a car drive in silence. It’s a better workout when it’s child free. It’s faster to do projects around the house without our kids. It’s convenient to turn on the TV and other electronic devices and let them entertain our kids. It takes more time, energy, and effort to talk and to listen, but oh how our kids need it. Now more than ever!
My husband and I have been talking and praying about what we can do to spend more quality time with each child amidst the crazy schedules and I think seeing these two was a tender mercy sent from God because it sure spoke to my heart. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or take a lot of time, but it does have to happen. Time and talking is what builds relationships. It’s worth our efforts to make it happen! If we want lasting and real relationships with our kids, husbands, and families, we have to take the time to talk and listen.
So I thank this sweet mom and her little mini-me that were walking the track today for reminding me what our kids need now more than ever!
Time.
Talk.
Sacrifice.
-Lindsey
This article was seen first on Real Imprints.