Photograph by Bruno Nascimento
A mother and a son take a walk. "Is this the last time?" Jenny wondered when her son slips her hand in his. This story is a special reminder to appreciate the special moments.
Yesterday I went for a walk along the beach with Benj. He’s nine and a half. Holding hands has been a no-no for a while now. It was sunny, the sea was sparkling, we were chatting.
Me: Can I hold your hand? No problem if you’d prefer not.
Benji: It’s fine. And he slipped his hand into mine.
We walked along together, holding hands.
Me: I’ve missed this.
Benji: Me too. And he gave my hand a quick squeeze twice, which was always our code for “love you”.
And I thought - was that the last time?
And I remembered this poem.
THE LAST TIME POEM
Photograph by Xavier Mouton Photography
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,
you will never be the same.
You might long for the person you were before,
When you have freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.
But don’t forget … You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,
And days will run into days that are exactly the same,
Full of feedings and burping,
Nappy changes and crying,
Whining and fighting,
Naps or a lack of naps,
It might seem like a never-ending cycle.
There is a last time for everything.
There will come a time when you will feed
your baby for the very last time.
They will fall asleep on you after a long day
And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.
One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,
And never pick them up that way again.
You will scrub their hair in the bath one night
And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
They will hold your hand to cross the road,
Then never reach for it again.
They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,
And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.
One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus”
and do all the actions,
Then never sing them that song again.
They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,
The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.
You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.
They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.
The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time
Until there are no more times.
And even then, it will take you a while to realize.
So while you are living in these times,
remember there are only so many of them
and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.
For one last time.
~ Author Unknown
Thank you to Jenny Flintoff for contributing this story.
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What a beautiful poem – thank you for sharing! Life gets moments and we need to cherish these moments. 🙂
So an expressive poem and it true time waits for no one. You have to savor every moment and not be bogged down by the rest of the unimportant noise.
Lovely poem. Every one reading this can relate and feel it. Either being a Parent or being kid of a parent them self. We should live each and every moment of life to fullest. Thanks for reminding to appreciate each second.
Seriously made me tear up. Life is always busy and moms feel like the days are long and never-ending but they do end without us realizing it. It’s a constant struggle for us to find a balance with this. Thank you for sharing your heart.
What a beautiful reminder to cherish every moment!
awe man! I have been emotional all week with my kids growing up too fast and headed back to school so this post just made me emotional all over again. lol
As a poet myself, this got me. Time flies by so quickly, we hardly notice when the last time happens– only death alerts us. I’m not a mum but I can relate it to life. There’s always going to be the last time for something. Lovely poem.
What a lovely post! It makes me cry. I am a mom of two toddlers, and it’s incredible how fast they grow. Let’s enjoy every minute!
Not a mother yet (but one to be), so I can’t say I understand. But I have a clue what it feels like. Whenever I don’t feel my baby move, I feel so scared. And I’m sure, I would always want to hold him/her close when born. A very relatable poem. Thanks!
Congratulations on your upcoming new baby. When I read this story I was touched – even though I’m not a mother. It’s a lesson we can all keep in mind Keep each moment precious, because it may be the last time.