Fleeting Drops, Growing Steps

Fleeting Drops, Growing Steps

"Little steps, big strides"

Yesterday at the park, my wife and I stood still for a moment as our kids ran full speed toward the playground. Their laughter echoed ahead of them, and we looked at each other with that quiet realization, they’re not so little anymore. Each stride carried the weight of years we can’t hold back.

"Like rain to a leaf, small moments nourish the roots of who our children become"

This morning, the rain is steady. Each drop disappears as it falls, yet together they bring life to the world around us. Time feels much the same; swift, unstoppable, always flowing forward. Childhood is made of moments like these, slipping past quicker than we expect.

What matters most is how we use this time. Every day we’re given the chance to teach our children, through patience, gratitude, and consistency, what it means to have strong character. We want them to grow into people who live with virtue, who hold onto kindness, who carry courage, and who strive for excellence in whatever path they choose.

That also means showing them how to meet adversity with grace, never letting hardship harden the heart. Life will bring storms, but they can choose to stand steady, responding not with bitterness but with understanding. We hope they learn to lift others up instead of tearing them down, to leave places and people better than they found them. If they can bring something good into the world, whether small or great, then we know the lessons of these fleeting years have taken root.

"Like raindrops on a river, each swirl of color becomes part of something greater, her story, her growth, her joy."

Part of that is in how we show up now. Even while they’re still so young, we try to nurture their passions, listen to their interests, and encourage the sparks that light them up. They might not remember every detail of these early years, but what does remain, the way they are spoken to, the love they feel, the respect they are given, becomes the foundation of who they’ll grow to be. Every moment matters, because every moment shapes the roots of their character.

We can’t slow the passing years, but we can walk beside them with intention. And if we do, maybe they’ll step into the world ready to face it with strength, with kindness, and with a desire to build something good.