Innocence Lost

Lily and Finn were too young to be greedy last year. They loved the shiny paper and candy at Christmas, but it was just another glorious day to them. They didn't fight over toys, and more importantly, I could dress them in whatever I wanted.

This year Lily asked if it was Christmas everyday starting somewhere near the end of November. She was constantly making mental notes of toys that would be great gifts for her. When the day finally came, she tore through her gifts so quickly it made your head spin. She showed gratitude at times, but mostly she was just looking for the next package with her name on it.

I don't know how to teach appreciation. Like many things in parenting, I hope that if I close my eyes and cover my ears, it will all work out. I don't know when I learned to savor every gift and say thank you to its giver; but somewhere along the way I figured out that giving a gift was as fun as receiving one.

I hope, God willing, that next year will be different. Still, I will pine for the ways of 2005. The truth is, I am so grateful for those two people left to my care for such a short time and I spend so little time feeling that way. Perhaps if Lily and Finn saw how much I appreciate the gift they are to me, they would learn a little something.

p.s. the picture are not in sequence I the kids just woke up, so I can't fix it. The first is 2003, the second is 2005 and the third is 2004.