The Perfect Moment

If I could reclaim something from my childhood it would be the time spent with my grandparents.  I suppose it’s because I’m a grandparent myself now, but I think of how I look at my little ones and it makes me think how nice it would be to go back in time and be on the other end of this relationship.

I had wonderful grandparents on both sides of my family tree. My paternal grandfather died in my early childhood, but I was privileged to get to spend a lot of time with the other three. As much as I treasure my memories with them, I wish I had more.

If I could go back, I’d climb in their laps and stay there as long as I could. With my new perspective, I’d watch them play with my fingers and I’d know they were treasuring every moment they had with me. When they caressed my hair and doctored my booboos, I would understand that my aches really were hurting them as much as they were hurting me. And then, as soon as I got old enough, I would sit with them and ask question upon question about their childhoods, about their hopes and their dreams and I would remember not to forget a word they said.  Or, would I?

The funny thing about us humans is our capacity to take for granted all that is precious about our days, even as we are reminding ourselves of how fleeting our lives are.  Somehow, I suspect that we could go back in time and within a matter of months, weeks, or days, we would once again get lost in the up and down rhythm of the everyday and the ever present challenge to treasure the moments. I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s a God thing.

Maybe He wired us this way so that we have to decide on purpose, not just once, but over and over again to embrace this moment right here, right now. Maybe it’s because when we do make a concentrated effort to really be here in the marvelous mundane, we get to touch the One who lives outside of time and bring Him into our life and the lives of those we love.

In today’s Southern Quote, I offer you the words of a wise soul named anonymous who once said, “Don’t wait for the perfect moment…take the moment and make it perfect.”

Hugs, Shellie