Remember To Soak It In
My dad is visiting us from Albuquerque this week. That means lots and lots of fishing! So far on our two limited outings dad hasn't done nearly as well as we had hoped. In fact yesterday, Josh my almost five year old, put us all to shame out-catching us all with a little Nemo pool. Sad.
I don't know how many times I caught myself this weekend, but it was more than a few, just watching my dad. It's as if my brain was on auto-camera mode trying its best to capture his looks when he did (finally) catch something or how he reacted to watching both Zach and Josh on the boat. His smiles. His laughs. Those moments I don't get nearly enough of because we see each other so little these days. Also sad.
It is times like these that I am reminded that I just need to stop and soak it in. Dad is getting older and I know he won't always be around and that hurts my heart so much that I can't breath when I think about it. I know his day to day life caring full-time for my mom who is in the late stages of Alzheimer's is taking a toll on him and it's trips out here that help to recharge his batteries a bit. It's his visits that do the same for me.
Moments are so fickle. They come and go so quickly that we often take them for granted and rarely appreciate them for the true gifts that they are. It's hard to remember to stop and take a breath and soak it in, but we must.
So my Ripple friends, whether you are spending time with you aging parents, hanging out with you kids, holding hands with your better half or simply having coffee with a good friend, remember to stop and soak it in. That mental snap-shot of time will be a gift you will treasure for years to come.
Ripple On!!!
4 comments:
You have a gift for recognizing and appreciating the things that are important in life and doing so before it's too late. Thank you for sharing that gift with the rest of us.
I spent the weekend at the unofficial *SXSE* gathering in Miami. There are so many fun moments in my mind (and more than a few captured and posted to the web by friends!)
No laptop packed, I made a decision to be in the moment and enjoy my friends. I am still chuckling today about some of the crazy happenings.
I can close my eyes and see in my mind the last good day I had with my mom, before her illness, before her death. It was enjoying a warm summer day on her patio eating and laughing and enjoying time spent together. The memory camera clicked in my mind, a moment frozen in time, yet forever in my heart.
Capture those moments in your heart and in your mind, save them and file them away for later.
Terri,
Why thank you mi lady! You so honor me with your words. They mean more than you could possibly imagine.
Ripple On!!!
Steve
Ann my friend!
How was SXSE?
I love your use of your mental camera. You are absolutely right, those snapshots in your heart and mind and use them later. They can make you smile. They can make you laugh. Some may make you cry. Some may make you happy - some sad. But no matter what, they are yours and yours to use whenever you feel like it - and that's just plain cool don'tcha think?
Ripple On!!!
S
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