“You’re gonna miss this one day,” she said. “It all goes by so fast. It’s just a season, and in the blink of an eye, it’s gone.”

As I was watching my daughter’s softball game in the sweltering Texas heat while wrangling a feisty 5-year-old, this grandmother who must have sensed my frustration, came up and said this to me.

Hmmm. OK. Did she really think that comment was helpful? Did my frazzled hair and bags under my eyes not tell her anything?

This moment? Really.  

Because, in all honesty, I don’t think I’m gonna miss this one bit.

I definitely don’t miss those sleepless nights or the season of perpetual temper tantrums. Nope. Not at all.

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And I really don’t think I am going to miss being told I’m the worst mom ever all because I said no or took my teen’s cell phone away. Not gonna miss the never-ending sibling rivalry. The tattle-telling. The noise.

At that moment, the only thing I missed was the iced coffee (that I never got so much as a sip of) that spilled all over the side of my car. But hey, I got the huge snack bag and a plethora of coloring books. Ugh.

Recalling my morning and because I had been up since 5 a.m., I looked that woman square in the eye, and the non-caffeinated, sweaty, sticky in all the wrong places, feeling a little unloved and a lot ungrateful mom came out in pure emotional form . . .

“I’m not going to miss this.”

She sweetly smiled and pointed to a softball player, asking if that one was mine?

“Yes, that is my daughter,” I answered.

“I can tell,” she said. “Because she is waiting for you to look at her.”

RELATED: I Understand Now Why They Say I’ll Miss This

At that moment, I looked at my girl and she flashed that smile. The smile that always has a way of melting my heart.

Then she did it. She mouthed, “I love you, Mom.”

Sigh.

Then that grandmother winked at me and said, “That. That right there, is what you’re going to miss.”

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Alicia Searl

Alicia Searl is a devotional author, blogger, and speaker who is passionate about pouring out her heart and connecting with ladies of all ages. Her favorite people call her mom, which is why much of her time is spent cheering them on at a softball game or dance class. She is married to her heartthrob (a tall, spiky-haired blond) who can whip up a mean latte. She sips that goodness while writing her heart on a page while her puppy licks her feet. Visit her website at www.aliciasearl.com and connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

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