want vs. need

I've taken a new approach to want vs. need. As a kid, I grew up on the leading edge of this instant-gratification, want-what-I-want which somehow morphs into a 'need' society. For years I've been trying to sort out wants vs. needs, and when it all boils down, we realize that we really have very few needs. So few in fact, that we often just take them for granted because they're always there.

I think motherhood lends a new perspective to this idea, and I appreciate it. Its nice to be needed. Perhaps this is a feeling I haven't truly experienced (or needed to experience) for a long time. The relationship between a mother and a child (in particular an infant. . .because that's all I've got :) is incredible and unexplainable, and I had no idea what I was missing. People say it all the time, "Oh, you just need your mommy." But its true. Sometimes my child just needs to be held, rocked, or his three hairs combed across his head. Its in these moments, aside from the need to provide food, shelter, and clean clothes, that I am overwhelmed with the awesome privilege that's been granted me. I am humbled that someone so innocent and small has an overwhelming capacity to love and bring joy to my life.