Oh, how the little ones can pull on the old heart strings. Their simple words can help you remember what's most important in life - your family.
A couple of weeks ago, my nephew, Jamey, who is 4 years old, called me on Friday night. He immediately said, "Aunt Jenny, will you come home?"
His words almost brought me to tears because I couldn't go that night. I had to tell him no. It was my weekend to work.
It's amazing how hard it is for me to tell Jamey no, especially when he makes such a big deal about seeing me each time I come home.
When Jamey knows I'm coming into town, he will listen for my car. And when he hears it, or I call to let him know I'm there, my brother says he gets up and starts dancing around the living room singing, "Aunt Jenny's here, Aunt Jenny's here."
So, of course, he didn't understand when I had to tell him I couldn't come home.
I had been to Gordo so much on weekends during the holidays, he thought I should come home again.
Being the soft-hearted aunt that I am, I quickly promised I would come and see him the next weekend I was off. But I could still hear the disappointment in his little voice.
My other nephews, Brayson and Garrett, are much the same way.
In early December, I stopped by my sister's house one afternoon to visit before going out with some friends for the evening.
When I walked in, they were all sitting around the table having dinner.
Brayson immediately says in his very southern Alabama accent, "Aunt Jenny, do you want to eat with us?"
My brother-in-law says Brayson says all one-syllable words in three syllables.
I had to decline Brayson's invitation. I had already made plans to eat dinner with some friends. At the time, he seemed OK with that.
After finishing his meal, he came over and pulled out the chair beside me and asked, "Can I sit beside you?" I smiled and said yes. For a 3-year-old, he was acting very grown up on this occasion.
Brayson climbed up in the chair, crossed his short little legs and put his hands in his lap and asked, "What have you been doing today?"
Again I smiled. I also realized how much he had grown and how smart he was. He was carrying on a conversation with me in an adult fashion.
We continued to chat for a few minutes, with Brayson asking questions about my day. This was unusual behavior for a little boy whose favorite pastime is running around and playing.
Then Garrett, who is a year and a half old, came and got up in the chair across from me. He, too, began to jabber in his own little language, acting as adult as his older brother. It was so funny, because I could barely see his small face above the table top, and I couldn't understand a word he was saying.
At that point, the boys wanted me to tell them a story. We started out with the "Three Little Pigs." That seems to be their favorite.
As I got into the story, which I told very animatedly, they began to giggle. Again there was a tug at the old heart strings. I told the story at least three or four times before they let me stop.
The time seemed to slip away too fast. It was soon time to leave and meet my friends.
As the boys realized I was gathering my purse, Brayson said, "Aunt Jenny, would you stay and play with us?"
That's when the guilt set in. Here I was leaving these two precious little boys to go out and eat with friends. If my friends weren't already waiting for me, I would have called and canceled.
It's wonderful to have friends, but it's just as important to be there for your family. As children grow older, the days of them asking you to stick around and play are few and far between. They tend to outgrow you.
I remember when I was growing up, there came a time when I didn't want my parents or other family members around as much. I thought I was too old for all of that.
It's funny how times change. Today, I wouldn't give anything for the time I spend with my family.
Both of these instances with my nephews over the holidays brought that message home to me.
And with this being the beginning of a new year, I have resolved to spend more time with my family.
As many dear friends as I have, it is my family who loves me unconditionally. They don't care what I look like or what I have or haven't done. They just want me to be there.
And time is quickly passing. If we don't take the time now, it won't be there later.
I don't want my nephews to look back and say, "Aunt Jenny was too busy and didn't have time for us."
Life is too precious, and families mean too much.
