Living in the Moment
This weekend I drove over 8 hours north to Quebec City to say goodbye to a dear cousin of mine. To get there, we drove through the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. The scenery was magnificent, and it was as if we were looking at a beautiful palette of perfect colors, heights, and textures. We saw farms and ski resorts, high peaks and low valleys; and in the midst of the grandeur of the mountains, I reminded myself just how small I am in this world. Reminding myself that it's not me that is the center of the universe, but that I live for the Center of the universe is a meditative practice that I should engage in more frequently.
One of my favorite Christian songs is "Redeemer" as sung by Nicole Mullen. Immediately sensing my small self among mighty mountains, I recalled the Redeemer lyrics, "Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning? and Who told the ocean you can only come this far? and Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening? Whose words alone can catch a falling star? ... The very same God that spins things in orbit; runs to the weary, the worn and the weak; And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken; They conquered death to bring me victory." Being one in and with nature reminds me of the great Creator of it all, and it reminds me that from this earth my body came and to this earth it shall return. I know that in times of happiness and in times of sadness that God is there to hold me, just as the song lyrics say. Ah, and the most important part of the song, the refrain: "I know that my Redeemer lives! (If you've never heard the song, you can listen to it here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p4G2GbPYQA.)
In last week's blog, I wrote that it is better to be in the house of mourning than to be in the house of feasting. This weekend again, I paused to remember just how finite our time on earth is, and how blessed we are to live each and every moment we are given. At the funeral services for my beautiful 48 year old cousin, I saw some second cousins who I haven't seen in years. I saw a nephew who for the last seven years has lived on the west coast, and I saw a friend of my cousin who came to America 30 years ago to spend some weeks in the summer with my family. I was with so many people who I love, and whose involvement in my life has created so many precious memories. I realized that it doesn't matter that time had passed since we last saw each other. It reminded me that the few moments that we had together this past weekend were gifts to all of us. I told myself not to figure out where time had gone, or even where time was going to bring us. I wasn't going to engage in the, "we have to get together soon" conversation. I just wanted to enjoy the time that we had in that time and space. The truth is, the time at my cousin's funeral taught me that it is very possible that it could be the last time that I see some of the people in that church, or that it could be their last time seeing me. It taught me to live in the moment. Enjoy the moment. Savor each moment. Forget about the past. Live with no regrets. Make peace with those who have offended me, but more importantly, make peace with those whom I have offended. Overlook each others' faults, and hope that others can overlook mine. Time is too short to worry about the past or to be anxious about the future. Laugh a lot. Love even more.
It's been said, "the past is history. The future is a mystery. Today is a gift." So, where were some moments of grace for me? I found peace and comfort in the music of my cousin's funeral. Music is such an integral part of who I am, and to hear the music done so beautifully in the church was a gift of the moment. I felt like I became one with the music. I sobbed, and my tears brought me peace. In it's simplicity, hearing and becoming part of the music, and now knowing that the musical selections were some of my cousin's favorites, continues to bring me joy and hope.
Another living grace in the moment occurred just by seeing and being with my godson. Again, although some time had gone by since I had last seen him, I wasn't concerned with that. I know that although he was away, he was always in my heart. I never asked him, "why haven't we seen you?" or "where have you been?" I just enjoyed being with him there. And we picked up where we left off and just enjoyed each other's company. As we were waiting in line to pay our condolences, my godson and I were making each other laugh, and poking fun at our family's quirks, and I had to remind him that we had to stop this before we got to the family to pay our respects. But the truth is, my cousin would have wanted that. When I approached my aunt, she reminded me how much my cousin loved me. I told her that I loved my cousin so much too, and that I loved that we always found something to laugh at, no matter where we were. In those words, I knew my cousin was with me in that moment, and in the moments of laughter that I shared with my godson.
One of my favorite "living in the moment" moments was on our drive home. There we were, my father, his girlfriend, my sister, her daughter, and I, driving back through the mountains in Vermont. We were listening to Christmas music on the radio. Silent Night was playing. My father's girlfriend has a beautiful soprano voice, and she sang the melody along with my sister who has a beautiful alto voice. I was singing harmonies to the song, and my father was just sort of humming in a crooner's baritone. As we drove through the winding highway, the sound of Silent Night was so beautiful, and the scenery was so perfectly magnificent. We were driving through snow covered mountains, some snow still on the ground, white New England church steeples in the valley. It was an incredible moment for those of us who were living in the moment enough to appreciate it. The funny thing is that it just happened. No one planned it. No one said, "come on everyone, let's sing!' It just happened. And believe me, the music was so pleasing to the ears. I just sat back (although I was driving, so I couldn't get too comfortable) and enjoyed. I know that only God knows when we will have the opportunity to share a moment like this, and that this moment is one that will be a part of my memory for as long as God graces me to have my memory. It was a beautiful moment of grace.
This Christmas season, let's make it our prayer for the grace to "live in the moment." Sometimes with family that is very difficult to do. Let us not dwell or worry about what has happened in the past. Let's put aside all hurt. Let's put aside whatever bitterness we are carrying. Let's not worry about tomorrow. Let's make it a point to live in the moment and enjoy the moment of grace. Let us love each other. Let's enjoy the company of each other. Let's forgive each others' weaknesses and ask forgiveness for our own. Let's focus on making a difference in the lives of those who we are with. No matter what our situation, let's make it a point to stop and be thankful for living in the moment moments of grace.
One of my favorite Christian songs is "Redeemer" as sung by Nicole Mullen. Immediately sensing my small self among mighty mountains, I recalled the Redeemer lyrics, "Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning? and Who told the ocean you can only come this far? and Who showed the moon where to hide 'til evening? Whose words alone can catch a falling star? ... The very same God that spins things in orbit; runs to the weary, the worn and the weak; And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken; They conquered death to bring me victory." Being one in and with nature reminds me of the great Creator of it all, and it reminds me that from this earth my body came and to this earth it shall return. I know that in times of happiness and in times of sadness that God is there to hold me, just as the song lyrics say. Ah, and the most important part of the song, the refrain: "I know that my Redeemer lives! (If you've never heard the song, you can listen to it here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p4G2GbPYQA.)
 |
| Lyndonville, Vermont: A beautiful covered bridge that we drove through on our travels. |
It's been said, "the past is history. The future is a mystery. Today is a gift." So, where were some moments of grace for me? I found peace and comfort in the music of my cousin's funeral. Music is such an integral part of who I am, and to hear the music done so beautifully in the church was a gift of the moment. I felt like I became one with the music. I sobbed, and my tears brought me peace. In it's simplicity, hearing and becoming part of the music, and now knowing that the musical selections were some of my cousin's favorites, continues to bring me joy and hope.
Another living grace in the moment occurred just by seeing and being with my godson. Again, although some time had gone by since I had last seen him, I wasn't concerned with that. I know that although he was away, he was always in my heart. I never asked him, "why haven't we seen you?" or "where have you been?" I just enjoyed being with him there. And we picked up where we left off and just enjoyed each other's company. As we were waiting in line to pay our condolences, my godson and I were making each other laugh, and poking fun at our family's quirks, and I had to remind him that we had to stop this before we got to the family to pay our respects. But the truth is, my cousin would have wanted that. When I approached my aunt, she reminded me how much my cousin loved me. I told her that I loved my cousin so much too, and that I loved that we always found something to laugh at, no matter where we were. In those words, I knew my cousin was with me in that moment, and in the moments of laughter that I shared with my godson.
One of my favorite "living in the moment" moments was on our drive home. There we were, my father, his girlfriend, my sister, her daughter, and I, driving back through the mountains in Vermont. We were listening to Christmas music on the radio. Silent Night was playing. My father's girlfriend has a beautiful soprano voice, and she sang the melody along with my sister who has a beautiful alto voice. I was singing harmonies to the song, and my father was just sort of humming in a crooner's baritone. As we drove through the winding highway, the sound of Silent Night was so beautiful, and the scenery was so perfectly magnificent. We were driving through snow covered mountains, some snow still on the ground, white New England church steeples in the valley. It was an incredible moment for those of us who were living in the moment enough to appreciate it. The funny thing is that it just happened. No one planned it. No one said, "come on everyone, let's sing!' It just happened. And believe me, the music was so pleasing to the ears. I just sat back (although I was driving, so I couldn't get too comfortable) and enjoyed. I know that only God knows when we will have the opportunity to share a moment like this, and that this moment is one that will be a part of my memory for as long as God graces me to have my memory. It was a beautiful moment of grace.
This Christmas season, let's make it our prayer for the grace to "live in the moment." Sometimes with family that is very difficult to do. Let us not dwell or worry about what has happened in the past. Let's put aside all hurt. Let's put aside whatever bitterness we are carrying. Let's not worry about tomorrow. Let's make it a point to live in the moment and enjoy the moment of grace. Let us love each other. Let's enjoy the company of each other. Let's forgive each others' weaknesses and ask forgiveness for our own. Let's focus on making a difference in the lives of those who we are with. No matter what our situation, let's make it a point to stop and be thankful for living in the moment moments of grace.
Comments
Post a Comment