The photo above is the view from my balcony. This is what I get to stare at as I sit outside, enjoying the warm air and writing this post. You can’t see them, but just to my left, and at the bottom of that hill are a family of deer, grazing busily—but glancing up at me occasionally to ensure I’m not going to interrupt their meal with any human silliness. This is my happy place; surrounded by nature and shrouded in quiet—save the sound of animal paws scurrying across the forest floor. It’s an easy to place to reflect, and to remember to be grateful.
My son, my only child, my baby—he turned 13 this past weekend. To celebrate, I took him on a surprise trip to NYC to eat, shop and hang out for the day. He had a blast, and his excitement and level of gratitude were priceless. I know the time is coming when he might not want to hang out with me, so I cherish these moments when we’re still buddies and I’m still one of the cool people. I remember when he was just a chubby little munchkin with a head full of curly hair, who loved to curl up and snuggle my neck. And I hope that I relished those moments enough while I had them, because it seems now that they went by before I could blink.
I encourage you to be present in your life—with your children, in your relationships and in your careers, or with whatever is most important to you—because things can and will change in an instant. As much as you muttered “I can’t wait until the kids grow up” or “I’m so ready to take this courtship to the next level” or “I want this promotion”—you’ll miss the sweetness of the moments when your children still needed you, the excitement of when you were newly dating, or the lack of stress that preceded your promotion.
While change is inevitable, if we take a moment to be still, be quiet, and be grateful, it will be much easier to enjoy where we are right now. A great exercise to help us to get to where we are going is reflecting on where we’ve been.
Happy Monday. I hope you take a moment this week to acknowledge all the things you have to be grateful for.
6 comments:
Awww this is a wonderful post .. yes enjoy those moments because a good foundation will make the moments happen when Tevian becomes an adult . ( trust me i know )
Loved this post... soo simple but true. I was thinking similar thoughts today, to be fully present in my life and to have gratitude for all that I am blessed with...
Thank you for sharing
Love this post! Thanks!
Thanks all! We all have things we can cherish right now if we take inventory of our lives.
@ Ms. Robilyn - great advice as always. thank you.
This is so on time. With the sudden death of a cousin yesterday, it's a good time to be reminded to take care of and cherish the present moment because it's gone too soon.
It is unfortunate that often death is the catalyst to remind the living to actually LIVE. I am so very sorry to hear about your loss, Empress65.
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