Have you ever looked at your kid, and just wanted to save that moment forever?

We see it in baseball games all the times as fans end up watching the momentous at bat through their phone. I remember in 1998 when Bonds and McGwire went on their historic (and tainted) home run chase. The flashes of the cameras (the non-phone type) would fill the stadium as the ball was released from the pitcher’s hand.

This morning, as I woke up my oldest, Shea (age 6), for school, I was struck by her beauty as she was still dreaming away. I rested next to her and watched her sleep for a few minutes, wondering in that moment how I was so lucky. I closed my eyes and thanked God for her as my hand rested against her beating heart.

I soon remembered that doctor visit when I heard her heart for the first time. We stared at a screen where I was left to trust that the blurred image was my first child. The sound of the heartbeat was strong and what was still unseen was realized.

Two years later, another visit for our second child brought even more appreciation for that previous experience. This time, there was no heartbeat and the doctor uttered the still (and I imagine, forever) haunting words, “this is not a healthy baby.” I looked at my wife and then searched for a garbage pail as nausea filled my body and crushed soul.

A year later, we went for the third time, praying that a heartbeat would be heard. And thank God, it was, and we took a deep breath.

A few months later, every breath brought with it fear as the pandemic masked our mouths and closed our doors. Her pregnancy and birth occurred under a dark cloud that is still clearing.

Parenthood is never a smooth ride as it is rarely an easy season for a team chasing a championship. Ups and downs are to be expected. This is why we seek to hold on to those moments of joy and peace as we know it won’t be like this for long.

So take those photos, but do not forget to fill the soul and let the present moment capture your full attention. These moments, photo or not, will last a life time.