22 November 2016

Celebrations Of The Little Things…

I've been blogging on and off since about 2006 and I always seem to come back to it as I find writing meditative therapy most of the time. I've also always come back to this post when I need to count my blessings. Our family has changed, been added to, grown up and most of the chicks have left the nest but some things never change. I hope this might help others keep things in perspective. There are many things in the world that seem divided right now. I don't particularly care what your race, creed, religion, political views, citizenship or sexual orientation is. The following is about what we need to think about in our own lives. Anger and frustration that rules one's day, helps no one and steals something precious from everyone. So take a deep breath, open your mind, step into the present and truly look around you...

and celebrate the little things in life

Every once in a while, I think we are all given little 'Wake Up' calls. Either something happens to someone we know or someone says something to you that really resonates with something inside of you (if you have a heart) and the little voice that resides in everyone (who has a conscience) prods us to remember to celebrate the little things. It’s easy to celebrate holidays and some of us can remember birthdays and anniversaries (if we have a memory).
I think that I didn’t learn this lesson early enough in my life. I’m left with a lot of shoulda, coulda, woulda moments of regret that need to be replaced with the celebration of life, in the moment. 

Did you notice how fast your parents and siblings were growing when you, yourself are a child? Did you think about or even realize that there would soon come to a time when because of school, work, military service, marriage, and all the other myriad of detritus that life hands you, that you would no longer live with them?  In many cases you would physically live far away from them?  I don’t ever remember stopping long enough to take an actual or mental picture of those days in my mind to keep in my memories.

The years flew by, I don’t know where they have all gone but I have very few actual pictures of my childhood, school, military service, my husband and I when we were first married. There are lots of pictures of Nicole when she was a baby. The pictures, however, become scarce as the rest of the children came along. It is not because we were any less proud of them or happy that they came along. I think that the worries of everyday life become exponential with each child. Worries that eat at our ability to enjoy life in the moment. We are even less likely to stop and celebrate the little things in life.

September 11th gave many people I know the wake up call I speak of, but like human nature often is, the lesson, no matter how horrific in it’s execution, softens with time. We don't forget, but it becomes blurred with age.  I don’t know when this realization happened for me. It was before September 11th. I think it started just after my husband and I got married. I started asking questions of relatives about their lives. I started writing down their stories. I started keeping track of my immediate genealogy, although at the time, I didn’t realize what I was doing. It eventually evolved into tracing both my parents genealogy back to the time their ancestors immigrated to North America. It wasn't far to find the 1st generation American’s. All four of my grandparents came to the United States from Canada and were the first ones to stay. I count myself lucky to know their life story.

Our own children are growing so fast. Nicole and Danielle’s childhood moments are overshadowed by the struggle of survival, because both my husband and I separated from active duty within 6 months of each other during the last national economic downfall. We were then blessed with Rachel but like so many other people, we struggled with everyday worries. We both worked 2 and 3 jobs to make ends meet until I became pregnant with Erin, our youngest.

After that, a disability I had received in the military finally left me unable to take care of not only myself but our children. I feel like I have lost about 7 years of my life. It has been a very long road back. During this time, our families and our truly closest friends and family, John and Kelly were what kept us going. 

I have learned to try not to miss the little milestones that come to us every day. They come whether you stop long enough to appreciate them or not. So many times they can pass you by and you mourn their loss when you finally realize they are gone. I forgot where I read that life does not have any ‘do-overs’ but occasionally you will be blessed with a ‘do-again’.

Despite not having most of my family and friends around lately, I have lately found pleasure in the moments with Erin. At 8 years old she is still my baby. She is growing and her personality is becoming more pronounced. She tackles life so differently than the other three. I have blown off most of the housework this week. It will keep. I’m going on treasure hunts and exploring the world through the eyes of Erin. I am collecting these moments of time in my memories to be taken out at some future date to be relived and enjoyed again. I am not going to try not having to re-live another moment of regret for this time that I was given with her.

If you want to know how this lesson solidified in my mind…the moment that I truly learned this lesson… it was the first time my husband was in the mid-east. He would send the kids and I pictures of grass. Yes, you read that right. There was this one spot where everyone threw out their wash water and eventually a straggly excuse for grass started growing. My husband had a picture of himself taken sitting in this 3 ft by 3ft patch of grass. He was cross legged and his eyes were closed. His hands were in the position of someone meditating and saying 'ooooohhhhmmm, ooooohhhhmmmm.' (Man that man cracks me up!)

He also would pick these small flowers that he would find among the rocks. Proof that life will survive in the most unlikeliest and most inhospitable places on earth. They do not stop growing because of the war being waged. Their ability to exist with such beauty is a testament to life. My husband used paper, plastic wrap and cardboard from his care packages to press these flowers. He brought them home to us and when he returns to the mid-east our daughters and I will be using his away time mounting and framing them for our rooms.

I usually write my quote of the day as a way to wrap up a point to my posts. Today I will only impart my own humble message. “It is not always possible to live in the moment, but when the opportunity does present itself….do not waste it for it is precious and may not come again.”

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing that very honest opinion of starting a new. No do overs with the same people for me ever. I like what the saying "when one door closes, another one opens." Thank you for your insight on life in general.

    Over the years, I have closed MANY doors, because I needed for new ones to be opened. I wish you and your family the best in the New Year.

    May

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  2. The infamous "coulda, woulda, shoulda" list... I'll tell you when I've learned to deal with the guilt from mine....

    The "why didn't we do that years ago" list... when you forget that life wasn't today... then...

    I've had little boy home this week.. he too is 8 already... sigh... bigger than his 2yr older bro... I'll get the bathroom cln'd tomorrow b4 his bro and grandparents arrive... Tomorrow.

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  3. Thank you for this.

    I have been fortunate in that I have often had the presence of mind to take a mental snapshot of the moment. Unfortunately, there have been times when when Life 101 prevented my doing that.

    I have taken a mental snapshot of this post and of this moment, which will serve to remind me, going forward, to make the time to take more snapshots.

    "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." -- John Lennon

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  4. May - That is very true. Best wishes for a wonderful new year. (And I love your new pic!) :)

    Farmwifetwo - I wrote the post below the fold line about 2 years ago. Erin is now a whopping 11! I know how you feel about your boys getting bigger every day. From my family to yours... Happy New Year.

    Jim - Mental snapshots. That's exactly how I wanted to describe it. Happy New Year... (and BTW.... GO PACKERS!!! If the Pats aren't going to the superbowl I figure it's OK to cheer on another team!) :O)

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  5. What a wonderful post!! I have always had the attitude... housework can wait. My sister in law has a meticulous home. I always have laundry on the couch. One night she came over and was folding it. I told her the kids had asked me to play... so I did. Laundry will always be there, but my children will be little once. She now has a little guy. She told me last month she remembers that always... and she lets the laundry go to play with him. We can't pass up the opportunities. We may not get those 'do agains'. (I like that, btw)

    Happy New Year!

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  6. What a wonderful post!

    I agree with Bou- babies don't keep and the laundry will!

    I recently blogged about my goals for the new year, but I will be sure to keep in mind that quote "Life happens when we are busy making plans".

    Great conversation and interaction in your comments! :) Happy New Year!

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  7. Ah, yes. January: when I make a whole new list of projects and goals for myself instead of looking back at what I'm already working on and figuring out how I can be more efficient, happy, or whatever with my previous commitments.

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  8. I love that quote at the end. And I agree with a lot of what you put in your post. I've thought in the last few years that it's silly to wait for New Years to make resolutions and set new goals or make commitments. To me, it's like any other day and why not set new goals throughout the year. Don't wait. Great post.

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  9. Found you through Meleah's blog...must say this post hit the nail right on the head.
    "I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." -->I like that!
    A blessed New Year to you and your family.

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  10. Okay, this is my first official visit to your blog, and I am TOTALLY in love.

    I love the way you write. I love your absolute honesty. I love your perspective. I even love the reason WHY you have this blog.

    Yep. I'll be here for daily visits!!

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  11. Now that I *know* you so much better, I would like to add this comment:

    ""Every once in a while, I think we are all given little 'Wake Up' calls. Either something happens to someone we know or someone says something to you that really resonates with something inside of you (if you have a heart) and the little voice that resides in everyone (who has a conscience) prods us to remember to celebrate the little things."

    That's very true. As I struggle with so many annoying medical conditions I only get a FEW good days per month. And that somehow taught me to savor EVERY SINGLE SECOND of those good days, because I never know when I I will get another "good day" again.

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Contents from normal neural synapsis goes here....
Should unnatural neural synapsis occur? Take one cherry chocolate Hershey Kiss and carry on.
Should NO neural synapsis occur? Take two full strength chocolate Hershey Kisses and
try again in the morning.