It is like a blink of an eye indeed.

Rasanya baru kemarin memeluk tubuh kecil mereka dalam pangkuan. Sekarang sudah besar badannya dan terlalu berat untuk ditimang.

Rasanya baru kemarin mendengar tangisannya kalau saya sebentar saja hilang dari pandangan mereka. Sekarang gantian saya yang harus cari-cari mereka yang asyik bermain bersama teman-temannya.

"Semua ada masanya" begitu selalu kata mama saya kalau beliau menerima curhat anaknya tentang betapa melelahkan tugas mengasuh anak itu.

Dan masa itu sudah berlalu, tinggal kenangan yang tersisa yang terekam dalam ribuan foto-foto yang saya abadikan dan saya buatkan album tahunan. Agar suatu saat nanti mereka bisa melihatnya dan mengingat betapa hidup mereka penuh dihiasi oleh kenangan yang indah.

And in a way it's my way to say to them that i was there, i was the one who took your video and pictures, i was the one who cheered you at your first step, i was the one who giggled to your blabbering talk, i was the one who prepare your first meal. I was there in every step of your milestone. Witnessing you grow, holding you when you are ill, comfort you when the world seems too much for you to bear.

What they don't understand yet is that i have to make sacrifices in order to be present with them. But that is what every parent will do. They make sacrifices. This is what they do in order to pass the baton to their children someday.

Looking back, i then realized that what i called by "sacrifice" is nothing but God's way to cherry pick what is the most essential thing for me. And if i get to choose, would i do it all over again? You betcha!