Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Unwrap this Moment

Our youngest son, thirteen, has some difficulties with memory. The situation is complicated, and for here, I don't need to share details.

The point is, I respond in two ways.

  1. It doesn't matter, he won't remember this moment anyway. Why bother?
  2. Or, this moment, now, is all we have. Pay attention. Make it valuable.

My default attitude, I admit, is to just get through this day, unaware, unappreciative of the passing moments. Survive.

How do I exchange that default attitude and live each moment full of value?

Last night, lying snug in bed, the house dark and quiet,  I listed three things in my head, three things to help me be more aware of each moment:
  • make sure he is secure, that he knows he is loved, cared for, protected
  • be sure he learns something - even if it's the same thing he learned this morning or yesterday or last week - be sure he is learning, growing, taking something in
  • watch for opportunities for gratefulness - reaching out to others and the Lord - responding to life with gratefulness. Each day I have him write three things on a gratefulness list. For now, it requires a lot of prompting from me, but he will grow in his ability to see.
These three words:
  • secure
  • learn
  • grateful
Perhaps he cannot articulate the impressions, the memories of his days. But he is aware at a deep level, and these are what I need to build into him.


And obviously, this has applications for all of us.

  • Love the moment.
  • Search for the value of now.
  • Seek to learn, be always looking, learning.
  • Enjoy, with an open heart of gratefulness.
Appreciate all that is here, now. Listen to the sounds. Look at the sky. Feel. Move. Go for a walk. Laugh. Smile. Play a game. Read aloud. Talk. Listen. Not just going through the motions. Enjoy the life we have here, now, together. Live. Alive. Awake. Unwrap the moment.


Linking with Emily Freeman, Chatting at the Sky, and "Tuesdays, Unwrapped."

3 comments:

  1. This is perfectly beautiful and so tender. Thank you for encouraging me in this lovely way in which to savor our moments. Bless you and your son and the unique relationship between mother and son I see glimpses of here.

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    1. Thank you - he helps me see the moment for more than just a step into the next moment. I get too easily distracted away from the simple value of now, thinking I'll be more effective [then, whenever...]

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  2. I am a year or so late on reading this, but it fits the situation I find myself in with my mother as she battles losing her memory. Some days I tend to think it doesn't' matter, she won't remember anyway. But, in that moment it is important to be engaged and active because on some deeper level and impression is being made - thanks for the reminder.

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