magic moments

she is seven.  almost eight.  i know my time with magical moments is short and getting shorter by the day.

tonight we went to the christmas lighting ceremony on the square...simple enough, nothing fancy, just a typical community event.  but, as he does each year, santa made his big appearance; coming out of the courthouse and making his way down the stairs while being bombarded by children.  morgan was excited in the way only young children get excited...anxious yet patient...she is not the type to run up to him, but instead, waiting and watching a bit in the distance; taking him all in and then stepping close when she is ready.  tonight was no exception...we made our way through the crowd, her little hand wrapped tightly in mine, weaving through parents and children each with their own agenda...until we were there...standing not five feet from santa himself!  now, i will admit that i get a little childlike and starstruck when face to face with (a really, really good) santa.  i mean, who doesn't look at him and immediately revert back to the boy or girl you once were - nervously awaiting your turn to tell him what you were most hoping for while being mesmerized by his magic? well, i do anyway.  so, there we were...children all around him, and she waited for me to tell her it was okay to go up to him...it's funny how shy she can become in moments like that...but, when he turned to her she was quiet and polite; responding to his "merry christmas" with one of her own...taking in the moment completely and stepping back from him with a look of sheer awe on her little face.  when she did turn to me she said, "he's the real one, mom, the real one!  did you see his beard?  and his eyes?  it was HIM!"

we walked away and went off to find hot chocolate, wasting time before her dance class.  she eventually asked if we could go for a walk around the square before her class...and as we started down the block, there he was!  santa was standing on the sidewalk, about to get into a car...i'm not certain what she was thinking in that moment, but as we got closer, he motioned for her to come towards him...there were no other children around and she had his complete attention...they talked about his reindeer and how he was headed out to h highway to go feed them and that since it was a long walk, this nice lady was giving him a ride.  he asked her about making cookies and drinking hot chocolate and told her to be good and to have a very merry christmas.  i won't lie...it was a truly magical moment for us both!  no exchange of wish lists was made, no question of her behavior this year...just a simple conversation that made a little girl's night.

as we walked away, she was smiling and said how lucky that lady was to get to drive him around...i have no doubt this memory is one she will keep, and i got to make it with her...i won't lie...my heart was full and there was probably a moment when my eyes were too.  there are precious few of these moments we as parents get...we blink and sometimes miss them...not this time.  this time i took it all in, let it leave an imprint on my heart and silently prayed that we would both remember this for a long time.