Melody stepped into the kitchen and groaned. All she wanted to do was put her feet up and relax, but tomorrow morning, the twins would be up at the crack of dawn again, and she wouldn’t want to deal with the mess then. She loaded the dishwasher, hand-washed the pots and pans, and wiped down the counter. Soon the evidence of dinner prep was erased.

              She made her way around the first floor, picking up toys and putting them in the toy box. It seemed all she ever did was pick up after people. She nearly bit her lip in frustration when she found a graham cracker ground into the living room carpet. At least the vacuum would fix that. Ignoring the cracker for now and the building bricks that covered the living room floor, she decided it was time to check on Matt.

              She moved toward the office and peeked in at her husband, who sat at the computer. “Are you almost finished?”

              Matt turned to face her. “I wish. This software upgrade is causing a lot of problems, and with the international sites, I’m on call for several more hours. It’s going to be a late night. I’m sorry.”

              “It’s fine. I understand.”

              Matt stood and hugged her. “Maybe we can do something fun together on Saturday. I’m not on call this weekend.”

              “I wish we could, but Evan has a soccer tournament. We’ll be there most of the day. I’m not sure how many of the games I’ll be able to see, since the twins won’t sit still for five minutes. Also, Ava has a birthday party. Shoot. I forgot to buy a present. I guess I’ll have to find time for that tomorrow.”

              Matt rubbed her back. “It won’t always be like this. I know raising four kids is a lot of work, but someday you’ll look back on these days and miss them.”

              Melody leaned back and took his face in hers. After planting a kiss on his lips, she gave a little laugh. “I love the kids, but life is exhausting right now. I wake up, do everything for them, and once they’re finally in bed, I have to take care of everything around here.”

              Matt’s brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help more.”

              Melody shook her head. “No, don’t be. You’re working hard to support us so I can be home with them. We prayed about it. We both knew this job would be a lot of hours, and I’m fine with it. I just wish I could have a minute to myself before falling into bed at night.”

              Sure enough, almost on cue, a cry came over the baby monitor. Melody grimaced. “Now, what?”

              Thirty minutes later, after dealing with Mason’s diaper change which included his pajamas and crib sheets, Melody dragged herself to bed.

                                                   ~*~

              Melody awoke to sunlight streaming through the windows. How strange. No one had awakened her. She walked past the closed doors of the children’s rooms to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Wait. Something was different. She stepped back into the living room. It was immaculate. Her heart swelled. Sweet Matt must have cleaned up for her. She started the coffeemaker and opened the fridge for milk. The fridge was nearly empty. There were no cheese sticks or squeezable yogurts. No applesauce or chicken nuggets. Just chicken breast, milk, and veggies. Where did all the food go? This fridge was clean, wiped down, and organized. What was going on?

              A sense of peace filled her as she made her way around the rooms. Everything was tidy. She glanced at her watch. 7:30? How on earth had everyone slept this long? She glanced at the baby monitor, but it wasn’t in its usual spot. She hurried upstairs and eased open the nursery door. Gone were the cribs, the rocking chair, and the stuffed animals. Posters of bands and movies she’d never heard of lined the walls, and the cribs were replaced with beds. Beds with no one in them. She opened Ava’s and Evan’s doors as well, and found the same thing. The rooms were transformed, but no one was there.

              She ran to the bathroom and stared in the mirror. She must have aged twenty years overnight. Her dark hair now had wide gray streaks, and laugh lines spiderwebbed from the corners of her eyes. Was this the future?

              Melody headed back downstairs and grabbed her phone. She opened her photos and stared at the images of her grown children. There weren’t many – just a few at Christmas and scattered through the year. Why didn’t she have more of them? She scrolled through the texts. Sure enough, there were text threads for each of the children. But while she texted them regularly, their responses were sporadic. She sank onto the floor. What had she done? Wished her life away? The quiet was overwhelming. She had what she’d wished for, but now she’d do anything to hold her children again.

              A cry sounded through her mind. “Mommy!”

              What was that? It came again, and a moment later, she found herself in bed. She glanced at the clock. 6:13. Blinking to focus, she crossed the hall to the twin’s room. Mason stood in his crib, pudgy arms outstretched, grinning at her. She lifted him and squeezed him against her chest. Sawyer yawned and pulled himself to standing as well, so she picked him up, too. She set both boys on the carpet and stared. It was all a dream. Her family was here and whole. Sure, the house was chaos, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

God, help us appreciate the season of life we are in, regardless of where we are. Wishing ahead to the future robs us of the joys of the present. Thank You for giving us different seasons of life. And for those wishing to return to the past, help us remember the challenges of younger years and appreciate the calmer pace of later life. Most of all, Lord, thank You for being with us throughout all our seasons. In Jesus’ name, Amen.