On Being Present

This is a picture of some beautiful spring blossoms I saw the other day. Well, it WOULD be a picture if I had gotten around to taking that picture instead of assuming the blossoms would be around for the next couple of days.

Sadly, the wind came along and blew off the blossoms and now all I have is a rectangle of nothing-ness where a picture should be!

I regret not taking a minute to capture the beauty on film. I wish I hadn’t assumed the moment was mine to take right then or put off to a more convenient time. Sure, there will be other springs and other blooms, but not those particular ones.

Not today.

That annoys me

I don’t like missing opportunities.

I don’t like wind that comes whether you expect it or not and wrecks havoc with your lives.

I want to live in the moment. Be mindful of things going on in my life. Notice the beauty. Take a minute for people who need encouragement. Catch all the opportunities that come my way. Many of you are following the story of MckMama's littlest baby, Stellan who has been seriously ill for a week and a half with heart issues. It is a compelling story. I am so wrapped up in praying for them and hoping for a happy ending. There are literally thousands of people following what is going on. People have been taking pictures of his name next to famous people and places: the Eiffel Tower, the 1st President Bush, Iraq etc.... Pretty cool. The local news covered their story. What struck me the other day, though, is how amazing the human spirit really is. How we can band together and care for each other-- perform miracles of human kindness. So often we only notice the ugly stuff. Maybe it is that we are all sooo busy with sooo much on our minds that we just don't think about it but when the opportunity presents itself, we come together in astounding ways. Go check it out for yourself CLICK HERE.

I want to notice.

I want to be content.

Not like my niece’s hamster, Spice.

Spice could never be content with his very nice comfy habitrail with all the cool curvy tunnels and the soft white cotton stuff and all the food he could eat and the wheel thing. And the attention from my niece and my sister. No, Spice could never stop dreaming about the Big World. He would obsessively work the bars of his cage until he managed to squeeeez his tiny little drawf hamster body out onto the greener grass outside. Spice assumed that his furmom, Rebecca and my sister The (Wo)Man were holding him back from his greater destiny in the Big World. He was just sure that whatever was Out There HAD to be better than what was in the cage The Man held him prisoner in. He couldn’t Be Himself in that cage. He had to GET OUT. Spice’s escape wrecked havoc on the family because he didn’t care that No Hamster Is An Island unto himself. A hamster’s life decisions effect everyone who loves him. Spice’s great adventure caused a lot of anxiety in the house. And searching. And speculation about what to do!! Finally, several days later, Spice realized as so many of us eventually do, that there was a reason he was living in the lovely safe home full of food and soft cuddly white stuff and that the Big World had it’s down sides too. And we know this because he put HIMSELF back in that cage a couple of nights ago.

Yes, Lord help me be content in my life. Help me remember that my choices effect the people who care about me. Help me remember that all of life has its ups and downs and sometimes the grass over on the other side just looks that way because someone just spread manure all over it.

Amen