Enjoy the busy pace, the crumbs on the floor, the clutter of toys and shoes and school papers, the friends in and out. Savor the heaps of laundry, the whining about homework, the squabbles with siblings and friends, the dissertations on fairness. Cherish the laughter and tears, the endless practices and games, the same book read over and over, the same questions answered again and again. Relish the worry and wonder that haunt every decision. Those are signs that children are afoot and God-given responsibilities to attend to.

Responsibility is a blessing. Some day these children will be grown and my house will be clean and quiet. I won't have their activities to structure my day. I won't have their voices filling the house or their friends in and out, or their issues to work through. I won't have four mouths to feed. I won't have their little clothes to wash and fold. And I will be lonely and long for it all again.