Going Through the Last 'First'

Kristina Talbot shares how experiencing some of the same milestones with her firstborn and youngest offer a different perspective.   

There is a big emphasis on the first time we do something. Especially as a parent going through so many milestones with our first born there is often this expressed desire to capture as much of the firsts as we can. What is often understated is the last time we do something. Perhaps it is due to the reality that we don’t always know in the moment that it is our last time.

When I played sports, unless you ended as a champion, we didn’t know it was our last game until we experienced the heartbreak of the loss. But as a mother of four children, I was reminded that sometimes, we do know it is our last opportunity to do this special thing with our children. 

Savoring the Milestones in Different Ways

Recently, our youngest received his first holy Communion. With him, so many things are not a surprise. We have gone through the first, the second, and even the third milestone with his siblings, so there is an ongoing sense that we know much of what to expect in terms of these events. As we made our final preparations and his siblings interjected their wealth of experience upon him, I realized that in a unique way, just as his sister holds the first of so many countless moments, he holds the last of precious things we deeply desire to savor.  

When our daughter approached this sacrament, I was just beginning to face the reality that our children grow up and, in many ways, reception of this sacrament marked her first steps into her own faith walk. Today, as she drove herself to meet us at this special Mass, I’m less apprehensive of the process of letting go and more appreciative of the graces this sacrament provides.   

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. (John 6:35) 

My first time as a mother to open access to this miraculous Sacrament also found it intertwined with an awareness that my daughter would now begin to have access to the world beyond my reach. The desire to protect and shelter our children comes with the territory of motherhood. Yet, with each new threshold crossed, we cannot help but want to move the hazards much like we did after those first steps when we as parents found ourselves crawling through the house to get the 3-foot perspective to move what we could. 

In this moment of our children’s first true yes to the Lord, there comes with this occasion an innate desire to still walk ahead moving the hazards as we have done before. However, the Lord extends His invitation to children personally.   

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:13-14)

A Journey Paved with Love

As I saw my son wearing the same suit his brothers wore, one of whom is now taller than me, I was able to absorb just how beautiful it is that it is no longer only my husband and I as domestic church to pass along the faith to him within our household. Since he is the last to receive, he is offered the deposit of faith from his siblings who themselves are learning to evangelize. The gift of seeing his sister and brothers provide instruction as they shared about the importance of this day was something I did not anticipate. Somehow, his journey now feels less fraught with trials and more paved with love.  

It is hard to believe that our miracle baby whom we asked the Church to baptize is now able to receive the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. The darkness of the world is fraught with temptations and lies that we cannot wholly shield him from. Yet, for as much darkness that exists, I am in awe of the light that illuminates through Christ in and through his presence in the Holy Eucharist our very source and summit. 

At this time, I have some inclination of what our last will face over the next few years. There is peace in the knowledge that I alone do not have to guard and protect him. Knowing that the journey which awaits him has both darkness and light ahead, it is beyond a deep consolation to know that Christ who is our light is enough for him and for each of us as well.    

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Copyright 2025 Kristina Talbot
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