Day 12...Wherever You Are

Be present.  

A phrase I’ve had wandering through my mind for years now : “wherever you are, be all there.”  It’s a good one to remember.  I just read recently that Elisabeth Elliott once said that.  She might be the one I got it from.  I don’t even remember.  But she’s a good one to quote, for sure!  Be present.  It’s so easy to keep your mind in constant motion, thinking about what’s behind, worried about what’s ahead.  Not sure really if this is even a skill to sharpen, living in the moment.  If it is, I’ll be practicing!  If not, I wish I knew the secret.  Just kind of hoping I’ll become this kind of person.  I’m starting to get it.  Although I’ve coined this phrase for some years now, at least internally, it’s all around me right now, presently. :)  And they say you should start paying attention when something is highlighted to you over and over again.  The Spirit is leading me to a place of being present constantly.  Being a mom that stays at home, it’s definitely a challenge.  I crave certain things I cannot have anytime I want to have them.  Lengthy coffee shop sits.  Long walks.  Browsing the bookstore.  Spontaneous visits with friends.  Quiet times under trees.  Hours sitting and writing.  Reading.  It’s so much more in my face, this element of being present, now that it takes more work.  It’s a matter of gratitude, as Ann Voskamp would attest.  And most of the time (or some of it) I am thankful.  This simple life I lead at home with my babies.  You need me.  You’re growing so fast.  I need you to show me how to be a kid again.  I have to slow down and take the world in, taste by taste.  It’s beautiful.  Youth.  Innocence.  Joy.  Wonder.  Even the endless tasks I hate bring me to a better place of appreciation.  Bending over the bathtub.  Spoon-feeding.  The sound of crying in the middle of the night.  Wiping bottoms.  Picking up tiny objects.  So, not that I have attained this yet by any means, but strive to remain present.  Call it being led by the Spirit.  He’s the one who’s always most present with you.  So model yourself after His ways.  It’s the only Way.  His Way is magical.  He sees everything.  I want to see like He sees.  See through people.  Behold the mystery in the mundane.  Go for it girl.