Present in the Moment

I am working hard to condition myself to be present in each moment of the day that God gives me. I have found with months and months of practice it is becoming a more natural state for me. I often stop and regroup to enjoy a precious moment regardless of where I am.

Lately, my prayer has been to enjoy every single connection point that God gives me with Derek. He is leaving for Basic training in two weeks and I want to treasure all the time we have before he leaves. I want to be intentional about our conversations and even my demeanor when we are together. I don’t want to be rushed or let a moment slip by. God has been very good to give me so many wonderful moments…specific conversations over dinner, great texting fun, laughter on the phone, and deeper moments of intimacy as he sits on the edge of my bed in the evening after returning home.

Yesterday, we were on the phone and he said, “Oh, mom, I’ve been meaning to follow up with you on a decision you were making…have you made it?” God had just given me clarity about this issue the day before, so I relayed that to him. He went on to share where he felt God was leading me and then commented, “Mom, you know more about the Bible than any other Christian I know.” That is not true, but his perception is that his mama loves God’s Word. That is definitely true and that he has this image of me makes my heart do flip flops. I’m gonna miss him more than I can put in to words. My eyes start to water just thinking about it.

And then there’s Zach. By far, I spend more time with him than Derek, but that’s ‘cause he can’t drive and is beholden to me to chauffer him everywhere. And we have a great relationship. He is so cute and has become my little 5’2”-90 lb. walking conscience. He is often telling me things that he thinks I need to work on. He starts out by saying, “Mom, please don’t be offended, but…” And the worst thing is…he’s almost always right. I do treasure my time with him immensely and try to be present in the moment with him as well.

Last night I had to catch myself. I was in bed reading and he was doing homework on the laptop in another room. He started singing so loud and so off key that I couldn’t concentrate. I read the same line 5 times. Finally, I yelled, “Zach…dude…you’re killing me.” He walks in my bedroom with laptop in hand and says, “What…can’t be in a good mood in this house?” So I was caught. “Please…I’m sorry…go ahead…sing for me honey.” So he hands me the laptop and starts singing and dancing in front of the mirror--still loud and still off key. It was truly very funny and I was glad to enjoy that moment.

It’s the small stuff…it’s always the small stuff that makes my day and can break my day. I want it to define my joy, knowing it all comes from God.

Psalm 16:8-11… “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”