One Last Time

Today is Ella’s first field trip ever. It is to a fruit farm. The same fruit farm I have been to 4 times prior, with Hannah and Hailey. I have so much to do today. It’s a busy day for me, ordinarily, much less with a field trip in the middle of the day. I have already been. I really don’t want to go back.

Then it occurs to me. This is the last time I will go to this fruit farm with one of my girls. Ella is my last chance kid. She is my last chance to experience the excitement of growing up. She is my last chance to warm up hands that are completely covered by mine. She is my last chance to lift her up, high into the sky, to pick that perfect apple.

After Ella, there are no more chances for me to experience life through the eyes of a little girl. There are no more chances for me to go to a wet,muddy fruit farm and ride a wagon out to the orchard while watching the look of wonder on her face as we hit every bump.

I pushed everything back to this afternoon. It will certainly make for a long day, but I got to pick pumpkins and apples with my favorite four year old in the whole world one last time.

There were many firsts with Hannah. I never even entertained the idea of having many lasts.

So here is my picture of our field trip to the fruit farm.

Here is my picture, one last time.