A Nice Reminder

This morning I read a blog post of a friend of a friend. Her post was about surrendering and being in the moment with our kids (you can read more here). As I read her post I was reminded of an experience I had when Alex was 2 or 3 years old. I was in a hurry to get Alex to her babysitter and me to work. As I was rushing down the walk way of our condo to get to my car I noticed Alex was not beside me so I stopped and looked back to see her crouched down looking at the ground. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "I'm waiting for the bug to walk by, I don't want to step on it." I was a little annoyed as I grabbed her hand and said, "Mommy is in a hurry you can walk around the bug." Later that day as I was driving in the car that morning's incident replayed in my mind. I was immediately overcome with emotion and realized that I needed to slow down and be in the moment with Alex. Taking 30 seconds to stop and embrace her concern for God's creations would not make me any later than I already was. A lesson was learned that day!

Then life goes on and bombards us with "stuff" that needs to get done our priorities shift and we forget the lessons and experiences that we have had. Thank you friend of a friend for reminding me of the lesson I learned 7 years ago and over time lost sight of!

"What can ...young mother[s] [do]...to reduce the pressure [of raising young children] and enjoy [their families] more?

"Recognizing that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less (Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)."

M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 109