To most it might just look like another piece of furniture. But eleven years ago, almost to the day, my husband and I overflowed a cherry wood changing table and shelf combo with itty bitty pink outfits. We lined the top shelf with brand new stuffed animals and safely tucked away pacifiers and toys in the drawers. Truth be told, I had NO clue how to be a mom and I was terrified.
For over a decade it has organized clothes, shoes, quilts and necessities for three growing children. The drawers have fallen apart and been put back together. It has been disassembled and transported on a Uhaul truck four different times and has numerous dents and dings to prove it. It has been secured to the wall in several different bedrooms and has seen its share of thousands of diaper changes. Many combinations of framed photographs have been proudly displayed on its shelves and two different baby monitors have kept watch from it 24/7. It has had a front row seat to everyday life. This piece of furniture almost held the belongings of two additional babies but God only saw fit that it held three.
Fast forward.
I recently relinquished the second and final set of blue big boy clothes. I didn’t expect myself to become so teary eyed and overwhelmed with such raw emotion when connecting the memories of our family to this piece of furniture. I learned how to be a mother in its presence. It has been good to us and it’s much harder than I expected to see it go. Our family has officially outgrown its use and this was the end of a wonderfully sweet yet utterly exhausting era.
“Motherhood: the days are long but the years are short.”
-Gretchen Rubin
If your experience is anything like mine, the seasons of motherhood seem to ebb and flow. Some days pass by in lightning speed while others seem to pass by as slooooow as molasses. Just when we secretly wish that our babies would grow up and become a little more independent they do. As my kids get older I often find myself wondering where on earth the time went!
The changing table is a tangible reminder of how fleeting the days are. Material things come and go but the memories are permanent. We must appreciate the current stage for what it is, look forward to each new one and take time to reflect on what was.
