Tucking Them In…

I had a moment this morning that flooded back memories… memories stored in some box in my mind. The box must certainly be covered, of course, in order to keep the memories preserved. But the cover on the box is easily lifted at the very perfect moment.

All of the boxes in our minds are meticulously alphabetized and labeled. I am sure of it.

And the box that tipped its own little cover this morning must be labeled in nice bold letters: Tucking Them In.

This is how the box opened its contents to me. I woke up early. Like 6:00 am early. It was still rather dark, but I could see a glint of light trying to peek through our bedroom sheers. It was still. Peaceful still. All I could hear were the comforting sounds of Barry’s breathing next to me. This is a bit different because Barry is an early-riser and he’s always up before me. But I guess the the drive to Washington DC on Saturday, the running around the great city of DC on Sunday catching Jane, Nicole and Keith running their Marine Corps Marathons… and the drive home at 5:00 am yesterday morning may have finally caught up with him.

I carefully crawled out of bed… then quietly headed to Barry’s side of the bed and tucked him in. I pulled the sheet and comforter way up to his neck… and as I did, I remembered my Mom quietly tip-toeing into my bedroom and tucking me in. I slept in the same room as my two brothers until I was 8 years old, so I remember the sounds and touches and smells of my Mom as I was half asleep, pulling up the covers and always, always kissing our foreheads. I remember my Dad patting the covers and brushing back my long hair. I remembered Keith and Adam under the quilts that Barry’s grandmother had made with her nimble hands and fingers. I remembered pulling those quilts up to their chins… Adam on the bottom bunk and Keith on the top and kissing their foreheads. I remembered the radiators singing in that bedroom as Barry and I made that last tuck in of the night. I remembered pulling up the pink and white quilts to Audrey and Jane’s little faces and tucking in the sides snuggly under the mattresses… and kissing their little foreheads as they slept.

I now tuck in my grandchildren when I am babysitting. Pulling up blankets to cover the little ones and bedquilts to cover the older ones who know what kind of quilt they want!

Tucking Them In. It’s the simplest of things. Pulling up the covers. A gentle tuck at the neck. A kiss on the forehead. But it means everything. Each of these moments is carefully tucked into that box that is carefully labeled at birth and stored in our minds. And when these boxes are opened, even decades and decades later, they make the simple moments miraculous moments.

ps  I did kiss Barry on the forehead this morning!

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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