Wherever You Are, Be There!

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Family Enjoying A Barbeque

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.

-Audrey Hepburn

It’s that time of year.

Graduations, endings, good-byes.

Beginnings, new seasons.

Recitals, parties, end of the year gatherings.

A little advice?

Be there. Be in the moment.

Stop rushing around just trying to get through to the next event.

Be here- with those you love.

As the school year comes to a close, cherish those memories.

Be happy for what was and the many lessons along the way.
Feel free to camp-out in gratitude for these moments.
They’re growing up. They’re getting bigger.

The most common phrase I’ve heard all week is, “This year has just gone by so fast.” And I’m sure we will all say it again next year. I don’t want my mindset to be, “I can’t wait until…” Until all these events are done, until I can just do nothing, until everything is finished, until… until.

Or else I’m just going to miss this moment. And our lives are made up of these moments.

I’ll have plenty of times for PJs and slowing down later. Right now, I just need to be here. Because this is what it’s all about. When I’m feeling rushed and getting ready, oh, that I would take a moment to remember what it is I’m getting ready for. I’m blessed to to see them grow, excel in school and sports, and walk across the stage. May I never take this for granted.

So enjoy those banquets, graduation parties, award ceremonies, end-of-the-year field trips and recitals. Because we wake up one day and wish we hadn’t  tried to rush through everything, just so we could work on getting other stuff done. I believe we’ll wake up one day and realize the work will always be here, the projects will always need to get done, our job will always be with us, but our family, our kids- they won’t always be this size, this age, this height, and they won’t always be with us. They will move on.

This is the important stuff.

Be there. Celebrate those you love and don’t take today for granted.

I am still a work in progress. I am learning how to not rush through this life just so I can check things off of my to-do list (although I realize it must be done).

I let my son invite a few friends over for his birthday. I’m not going to lie, it’s been a really long day. I got maybe 5 hours of sleep. I’ve been up since 5 am getting ready for our yard sale, was out in the heat all day, and then took some huge loads to the thrift store for donations. I was a tired mamma. But I didn’t want to miss this. I wanted to be all here. Everything else (including my tired feet) could wait.

As I sat by the pool and listened to them jumping and diving and playing shark and football, I just thought to myself: This is it. Don’t miss this. Listen, feel, respond. As I sat under the moons light and felt the cool breeze on my face, my heart could have burst that night.

Slow down, enjoy the people that have been placed in your life. Life is like a slow-cooked meal. It’s not meant to be inhaled; it’s meant to be savored and enjoyed.

Be intentional.

I want more of that. More time to sit and soak; more time spent with other people; more time to just love on my people and be loved by them and to savor events, endings, and new beginnings.

And as summer is upon us, I hope we all slow down, read a book, quiet ourselves, and enjoy our family and friends.

Be all in.

We can’t control time or make it speed up or stand still. Tick tock. The only thing we can control is our response to time. And I want to be all in. All here. In the happy moments and in the hard. I need to feel them both, because the hard moments make me absolutely relish the good. And, in its own strange way, the hard becomes my teacher in a classroom I never meant to visit.

May we live our lives giving those we love our attention- not with mere words, but with eyes and touch. May we be here- even when we don’t feel like it, even when it’s hard and our days are long. Just show up, because it’s in the showing up that memories are made. 

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