{in my shadow}

We were walking home from the library, me pushing the double stroller and Judah walking slowly behind me.

He is usually a pretty fast paced walker, but for some reason today he was pokey and hovering just beyond the edge of my patience.

I would stop, look back and wait. And he would stop, look at me and wait.

It was nearing nap time and meltdowns.

"Come on bud, let's keep moving."

Nothing.

Frustrated, I pushed forward as the babies {er, toddlers} started to protest the prolonged mac n' cheese date that awaited them at home.

I glanced back and there he was, puttering along.

"Mom" he yelled "I'm just trying to stay in your shadow!"

I looked closely and sure enough he was trying with every ounce of his precision to stay perfectly in my shadow, right on my head.

And there it was, another one of those moments that seems so surface level, but really goes much deeper.

My little son, he just wanted to stay in my shadow- to do exactly as I was doing at that moment.

Just like he is always doing- following me, asking to load the washing machine with me or read his Bible while I read mine, always one step behind me watching, observing and learning in my shadow.

At times, my little shadow mate can make the task at hand twice as much work, but today was a little reminder of how very important it is to let him just simply be in my shadow as he navigates this big, complicated world.

It was a moment of realizing {again} what a precious gift he is and what a privilege it is to be his mother and shadow maker.