Rocking Back and Forth

When I was pregnant with Park, I quickly became overwhelmed by the vast amount of choices that come with creating a nursery; Converter crib or regular? Changing table or dresser? Mobile or Flutterbye soother? Theme or no theme?

As if having a baby is not life altering enough without having to agonize over bedding choices.

Rocking back and forth, back and forth, in my decisions, it was time for someone to step in. An intervention of sorts, if you will.

So, I was very thankful when my sweet friend, Nikki, put me out of my misery of glider inspection by steering me towards one of my most favorite baby paraphernalia purchases to date. (Which actually wasn't baby specific at all.)

I was hesitant at first, mainly because of the large price tag it held, but she assured me it would be so worth it that I would never regret the initial investment. And courtesy of hindsight, I'm hear to tell you that this is the way to go when it comes to rocking babies, ladies:

Many nights were spent in that chair, reclined just so, to accommodate the little wondrous miracle sleeping on my chest. (Or not sleeping, as the case usually was, but at least we were comfortable in our state of exhaustion.)

That chair held me tightly as I cried the tears of a new mother, overwhelmed by the constant demands of caring for her infant. It cushioned my tingling arm, asleep from the weight of a lengthy nurser. Rocking back and forth, back and forth, I prayed for guidance on how to raise a man after God's own heart.

As that baby grew and his mommy's hormones got back under control, that chair was also a refuge for us to escape to a quiet place where we could stare into each other's eyes and fall more deeply in love. Rocking back and forth, back and forth, Park's chubby fingers stroked my hair while the rest of the world melted away.

That chair also supported the weight of a father and son, nestled into a bundle of cuddles. Rocking back and forth, back and forth, Park experienced the tenderness of his daddy's love.

Many afternoons that chair endured an endless amount of book reading, as the young toddler sitting in his mommy's lap hung on every word. It had a front row seat to the belly laughs and squeals of delight when no, in fact, there was no monster at the end of the book. Just lovable old Grover.

As that bundle grew from baby to boy, that chair transformed into a jungle gym, challenging Park to climb all the way to the top. And then jump off. Or to stand on the head rest, rocking back and forth with outstretched arms, balancing just so as to spare his Mommy from complete heart failure.

One day in the future, when all the babies have been rocked and read to and all the toddlers have lost interest in attempting death defying stunts, that chair will claim it's rightful place in our living room.

Where I will sit, rocking back and forth, back and forth, waiting for my teenagers to safely arrive home from various school dances or an evening out with friends.

And later down the road, I will hopefully cradle my grand babies in that same chair, rocking back and forth, back and forth, as their sweet smells take me to another time, another place.

Yes, Nikki was definitely right about one thing.

I'll never regret ALL the investments made in that chair. Rocking back and forth, back and forth, it's presence will serve as a reminder to cherish every single moment (both the comfortable and not so comfortable) and to nurture all the relationships God places in my life.