Stay in the Moment

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself in some good moments with our kids. You know the moments: when everyone is getting along, laughing, and having actual conversation. These moments sometimes happen at the most random times. Someone will want to talk as the dishes are being cleared from dinner. A conversation will break out while we’re all laying on the bed soon to fall asleep. A question arises as we watch a TV show together. You never know when these moments will come.

If I’m honest, when these moments happen, I’m often too quick to move on to the next moment. I’m tired, I just need a break from words, or I need some space. In the fast paced world we live in, I am so used to moving out of one thing and into the next without savoring the moment I am in.  

As the years seem to be going by fast, I am learning that I need to try and stay in the moment, as long as I can. These moments don’t come around nearly as often as I wish they did. In order for me to continue building the relationships I so desperately want with my kids (and my wife), I need to see these moments when they arrive, push aside everything that I think is pulling at my time, and stay right there. It is so easy to pay half attention to what those I love are saying and sharing. It is so tempting to check out and pretend that I am paying attention as scroll aimlessly through my phone. But moving on from a potentially relationship strengthening moment will not help me get to where I want to be. 

In my relationships with my family, I need to do everything I can to be present as much as possible. I need to cherish the small moments that emerge and make a decision to stay right there in the moment. I need to make sure that the people who are most important to me FEEL it and I need to do everything I can to stay in the moment.