Little Finger Prints

Last night I was reading Chicken Soup for the Mother of Preschoolers Soul and I can across this story in which woman talks about muddy hand prints on her front step and how she steps past them waiting for the next thunderstorm to wash them away. She knows most people would wash them away immediately, but her friend had taught her something. She says her friend is into "Heart keeping" rather then housekeeping, meaning if she has a spotless house and no one in the house is happy then she feels heartbroken. Her friend reminds her that there will be a time when she wont need to wipe greasy fingerprints from the windows or wash sun-baked mud off the front step.
Originally when I read that story I thought, Thank God I wont be wiping fingerprints from my t.v. forever! And then I thought of all the fingerprints on my t.v. and how comforting it is to see them sometimes. Or the mouth and nose prints on my window from where the kids saw the guy mowing the lawn or waited for Me or Jason to return home. And then I got really sad, really, really sad. To think that there will be a day when I walk into my living room and my t.v. is completely clean since there was no one to press their nose against it while they watch Little Einsteins or Wonder Pets for the billionth time or to turn to my window and there isn't a perfect mouth print staring back at me and thinking of them standing there waiting for Jason to get home or to think of the silence that will be in my house everyday, like the silence I treasure when the boys are in preschool. Suddenly I thought of all things that I would miss when they grow up and they don't want to cuddle with mommy anymore or they don't want to give kisses and hugs. So understandably you can understand why I was bawling my eyes out last night! All these things that I thought would be wonderful when my kids grow up now seem so empty. See now I am crying again. I just wish I could stop time and stay here in this time. Stupid pregnancy hormones and stupid book!