on being present...

i'm typing today in our newly redecorated bedroom, with my little man leaning on my right arm. the baby is asleep; it's my day off. brady could have used a nap today, but being 4 and making up his mind ahead of time has prevented him from said sleep. in fact, he's done just about everything you can imagine to stay awake. which now is ok, i suppose. the time i get with him on these days is so precious -- daddy day, we call it. our routine is to take kristyn to school, and head to the local discount superstore to purchase our groceries, visit the cookie lady, and look at the fish before the ice cream melts. then it's home, lunch, maybe a story, and quiet time. in the midst of all this, i usually have a mental list of stuff that i think needs to be done. funny how i look SO forward to my days with the kids, but i usually sabotage myself by having this list that distracts me from the most important thing to do on fridays -- be with my kids. i wash the dishes, clean the house, make sure the laundry is folded, etc, etc...and end up telling brady to wait a minute, or to go play with emy so i can finish this, or...

i've been thinking and praying a lot about just being present in the moment i find myself -- to not look ahead to what's next, to not ponder what might have been, but to simply just live in the time that i occupy RIGHT NOW. sounds easy, huh? man, i find it difficult!!! i think about this whole post christmas thing, and the idea of presentness seems to jump out. God decided to be present with us -- to live here and now and to play by our rules with regard to time. He didn't have to, but chose to. if it's good enough for Him, why do i fight the system so much? so my encouragement today is to find yourself in the moment you are in, and really live in it. take the time to play, to laugh, to eat (don't rush thru dinner -- what a great time it could be...) and just make the most of where you are, when you are.

and now, i've got to go! we've got soccer shoes to try on...cleats ought to be really fun on the hardwood floors!