A Break in the Clouds

Our train races between the fields and my little boy leans back into my arms. His body relaxes in complete trust. It feels almost as if it's me who's leaning into him; he's taking my weight, literally lifting the weight right off me. The sun flashes briefly from behind a cloud freezing the moment in my mind like a photo.

I treasure these moments. Children pull you up as well as wear you down. Since the birth of my fist son four years ago my husband and I have not left the house without them to spend time together.

Just now, I interrupted writing this to go outside with him to look at a meteor shower. It's one in the morning and the children are sleeping. We walked 10 meters from the house to edge of the park and gazed up at the few stars that were visible through the mottled clouds. Hand in hand. It was just a tiny moment of togetherness, but special as our hands are usually pushing pushchairs, or carrying shopping bags, or holding little hands. In that instance we remembered what it was like walking round Buenos Aires and Amsterdam when we had no children and no money; we remembered the future when the children will be grown and it will just be the two of us again. We didn't see any shooting stars, but somehow the three stars we could see through the clouds were enough...

Just as a few treasured moments are enough to sustain us and prevent us from falling into a life unnoticed.