Family Walks – Just Walk Beside Me

My husband, the other day, reminded me of our Sunday walks when we first got married and lived in the cutest little city. We would walk from our apartment to “the house I wanted to own one day” and back.  About two miles almost every Sunday when the weather was good.   When we first started walking together for some reason he would always seem to be a few steps ahead of me. I would try to catch up, but to no avail within seconds he was in front of me again.  I would say this quote to him and he would slow down…

It took about 15 time until he finally got it and started staying next to me.  I would ask him why he was walking so fast in front of me and he said he just didn’t realize it.  He liked our walks and we talked but he wasn’t right next to me.  I think he was so focused on getting to our destination that he would just walk his normal pace, which isn’t my pace!

For the last 2 years since we have had our 4th and 5th child we have kind of stopped taking family walks.  I am not sure why,  I decided today that we were going to do them again now that the weather is so beautiful and the sun is out longer!  I don’t know what it is about walking with all of us, but I love it.  I love taking up the whole road walking, talking and and pointing out things all around us (even the dead frog my son stepped on in the road!).  My kids love it to. I think it is just a peaceful way to end a peaceful day and to remind us as families of the beauty around us!

So tonight my family and I went on our first Sunday walk in a long time!  I love spring time for that reason alone…family walks!  On our walk I was looking around enjoying the beauty of the area we live and feeling so blessed. Holding my baby in my arms, my cute boys pushing the stroller, my husband walking the dog and my daughter standing next to me holding my hand.  My daughter came running up with the dog on our way back home and said, “I want to walk as a family”.  I said, “well if dad wasn’t walking so fast we could”, and I reminded him of the quote I used to say to him on our walks forever ago.  He slowed his pace and we walked the rest of they way together!

This got me thinking about life and how in order to be a good leader, friend, sibling and family member we need to stand by each other.  Help each other and support each other.  Encourage and love each other.  Sometime in my life (as I am sure all of us do) I realize I get into a zone when I am doing a project.  My kids come talk to me I don’t focus on what they are saying to me.  I really try hard not to do this, but it happens (especially when you are sleep deprived).  The other day I was feeding the baby and typing my journal and my son came over to tell me all about his Star Wars sticker book that he is obsessed with.  I heard him say “mom” a couple of times and then explain something.  About 30 second later I realized he was talking to me. I turned the computer off, stood up and told him to come sit by me on the couch and tell me all about it.  I was determined to listen to him.  To “stand next to him and be his friend”  He got this big smile on his face and said “K but will you make sure you pay attention”.  Oh, slap in the face I felt so bad!  I sat there for 20 minutes learning about different Star Wars characters, and I enjoyed every but of it because of how excited he was to tell me!

After that experience and the experience of our walk and my daughter saying she wanted to all walk together made me think that this time we have with our children is not long, and that we as parents need to be there, walking next to them, talking with them, getting excited with them and showing them how much we love them.