Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Long ago and far away

When you are caring for young children, those days inevitably come when you feel like you will never have a moment to yourself. You will never eat a meal in peace, go to the grocery store alone, soak in the tub to your heart's content, have a tidy house, or read a book straight through with no interruptions.


You truly feel like there is only today. Tomorrow will never come.

But I am here to tell you that tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow just keeps on coming - and as the years march on, tomorrow seems to come with alarming frequency.

And you look back on those crazy, noisy, dusty, grimy, whiny, sloppy days with a feeling approaching nostalgia and even some remorse - remorse for wishing them away and not always savoring them.

Having all the "kids" here for the weekend was a little blessing from heaven. As Bonny so aptly put it in her sweet testimony, it was a "Terrill Moment" that I think we all treasured.

After church, we all had lunch here at home and then had a Family Home Evening. We sang, we had an activity (writing additional verses for "Because I Have Been Given Much"), and then Dad gave a lesson. It was good to relate to one another in that way.


Sunday night we had a birthday party for Noah, and on Monday all the "kids" went to the beach. By Tuesday noon everyone was back home or on their way there, and the weekend was over.

But I think I knew enough not to worry about the inevitable messes in life and just enjoyed everyone being here.

I suggest it to everyone - savoring the moment!


Carpe diem!

5 comments:

bonny with a Y said...

this is so true, at least i am assuming it is - i'm still i the midst of it.

but bruce is always reminding me to enjoy the moment, as i have a tendency to look back or ahead.

i had so much fun last weekend - i think we should make it an annual event.

grannybabs said...

I think so too - and the first weekend in May is as good a weekend as any!!

Karen said...

I think I try to enjoy the moment. I think I have with all my kids. Probably because I got advice just like this when the olders ones were babies. Probably from you Barbara.

Eliza said...

I try to enjoy it too. But it's also easy for me to get wrapped up in what's next--especially when life is busy, as it is now (okay and probably always will be). Rather than rush around at the last minute and ignore Theo I have been trying to get things done in the morning so that I won't be at my wits' end just before I need to leave and go somewhere, which is usually what happens.

bonny with a Y said...

i feel like i was really good at enjoying my kids when they were babies, but i am have a harder enjoying my time with them now because the pace of life seems to have increased drastically.