Delighting in Today

I'm starting the countdown and trying my best to make each day count.  I'm just grateful that there were a lot of opportunities that made it possible for me to catch up with friends that I haven't seen for a while.  It's the time with the kids that I've been left wanting though.  There were just a lot of things that needed my attention these past few weeks.  So I was never really home with the kids.  By the time I get home, it's already really late and they're sleeping already.

Today, I worked from home and I'm glad I did.  I could see that the kids enjoyed my being around.  They've been asking me for the past weeks (ever since they knew I'm going away) whether I still have to go to the office.  Sadly, I had had to.  There was even an instance last week when Forest was learning how to ride the bike for the first time that I had to leave with Tatay later in the day. Forest was very vocal and expressed, "Hindi mo man kami love talaga, Nay. Dito ka lang!"

Today, I enjoyed Forest and Ate Janin tinkering with the piano.  I've worked from the clubhouse in the late afternoon and enjoyed simply being with them as they played with their bikes.  Tonight, I watched Rod and Forest draw.  I even helped Forest in the coloring when she asked me to.

Forest has been very clingy lately but I relish every moment of it.  I love how she's very vocal about expressing "I love you's" and how she would miss me when my time to leave would come.  Just tonight, while she was coloring her drawing, I sat there looking at her and found the scene really touching.  I called out, "I love you, Forest" to which she readily countered back with, "I love you, Nanay.  I will miss  you too!" Everything said in her cute, little voice.

I know I will miss the kids tremendously but I take comfort at the thought that being apart for now would only deepen our wanting to be there for each other.  This is the reason why we're now finding ways to do just that in whatever way we can be.

But yeah, thank you God for today, for the wonderful time I've spent with the kids.  It's a treasure I'll be keeping close to my heart to sustain me in the days ahead...