Precious Moments

Bianca posted the other day a picture of Ruby and said these words:

“18 months old as of March 3rd. When I put Ruby down for a nap this afternoon she cried, and she usually never cries when I put her down for naps; so this was odd for her. Instead of feeling frustration though, I thought about how fast she is growing up; so, I went back into her room, picked her up along with this pink satin blanket she's recently decided is her favorite, and held her for as long as she'd let me- trying to soak in every second with this 1.5 year old version of Ruby May. After all, this will be the only day in which she is exactly 1.5 years old. Time is an interesting thing. It feels like it's moving slowly and at rapid pace all at the same time, almost like the way the landscape passes by while driving. The distant mountains that seem to hardly move will one day be gone. So I'm working on being present not only as a mama, but as a wife a daughter, sister and friend. I hope I can be in each moment as much as possible, so as to not let it pass me by without ever fully experiencing it.”

This last weekend I thought a lot about precious moments in our lives.  Isn’t it interesting that we so often don’t relish the moments in life until they have passed?  Things like snuggling with our kids, or playing a game with our family, or a kiss with our sweetheart, or laughing on the phone with a good friend…  While those moments are happening they seem so inconsequential, yet as you look back on your life you are suddenly filled with the wish that you had paid just a little more attention right in those moments.  That you had truly relished every little second.  I think that is why photos mean so much to us.  They captured a moment that we can remember forever.

I don’t know of a single person who has had that moment of falling head over heels in love and hasn’t wished they had held onto that feeling just a little bit longer.  I don’t know of a single bride that wishes she had been able to notice things just a little bit more on her wedding day so she could have been aware of every feeling and memory taking place.  I don’t know of a single parent that doesn’t long to have relished the moments of holding their newborn baby just a little bit more.  I don’t know of a single person who has lost a loved one that hasn’t wished they would have appreciated every moment they had with that person every day they were blessed to have them in their life. 

There are a million moments in our lives that can bring so much joy and happiness if we just pay attention to them a little bit more.  And we never know what the future will hold, which is even more of a reason to enjoy and appreciate the right now! I have decided that we need to take more pictures in life!  Both with our cameras and with our mental snapshots in our brain.  We need to be more aware of the importance of little moments while they are happening rather than waiting until they are over to realize how meaningful they are. 

 I have never been that good at that and I decided this weekend that I am going to really focus on being much better at it.  I used to hear people say I should stop and smell the roses and what would go through my brain was “Stop?  Are you crazy?  Do you know how much there is to get done?”  But now I realize that what that saying was trying to tell me wasn’t necessarily that I had to stop moving forward, but rather that I needed to pay more attention to the moments happening in my life and make sure to truly appreciate and enjoy them as they take place.   And they are right.  I do need to.  And so I am committing today that I am going to pay more attention to the details in my life. 

 I am going to relish the little things like the laughter and the snuggling and the time with my sweetheart and when I get to see our children and grandchildren. We love you so much and pray for you daily.  I am going to be more appreciative and grateful for the roses all around me (roses being figurative for everything beautiful in this world).  I am going to say “thank you” more often, and “I’m sorry” more readily, and “I love you” without hesitation. 

 Life is amazing and we are blessed for every moment of it.  In both good times and bad there are special moments to cherish.  Notice them.  Be grateful for them.  Give thanks for them.  Remember them while they are happening, not after.  Life is beautiful and so are you.

Con amor,

Vero