Savor the moment hereafter....

"There are random moments--tossing a salad, coming up the driveway to the house, standing at the kitchen window and looking out at the delphiniums, hearing a burst of laughter from one of my children's rooms--when I feel a wavelike rush of joy.  Arbitrary moments of nearly painful happiness for a life I feel privileged to lead.  Think of the way you sometimes see a tiny shaft of sunlight burst through a gap between the rocks, the way it then expands to illuminate a much larger space--it's like that."  Elizabeth Berg

Today, as we begin a new week I want to encourage you to slow down, take a moment, and just rest in that moment.  Really feel that moment in time with all of your senses.  Listen.  Smell.  Breathe.  Taste.  See.

"If you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in?"

As we were traveling this summer, I had to remind myself to not get so caught up in checking things off my list of to do/see that I passed by the moment without really experiencing it.  And, because I kept reminding myself to slow down and take it all in, I believe I enjoyed everything in a more profound and gratifying way.  I can now close my eyes, and in my mind, relive some of those moments with great clarity.

One of the moments that sticks out for me was when we visited the cathedral of  La Seu in Barcelona. It is a massive cathedral done in Catalan Gothic Style built between the 13th and 15th century.

Hopefully these photos will help you see some of what I am describing.

Old buildings always have a distinctive smell about them.  They smell of old dust and stone and history.  And in the cathedrals you can always smell the lingering scent of melting wax from the candles.

To walk into one of these magnificent buildings always makes you feel small.  Everything is grand.  You can't help but feel awed by what is around you.

And to me, they always feel peaceful.  Quiet.  Calm.

This is a place where you can get lost in the details, for there are so many details to be seen.  From the carved stone, to the elaborate stained windows, to the artwork hanging on the walls.  Everything is at once simple and minutely detailed.

But what I remember most was hearing Keagan exclaiming in a soft voice, "Wow!  This is incredible."  And Jeff, whispering, "Amazing!"

I took several minutes to just stand there and take it all in.  The smells, the sounds, the sights.  I listened to my husband and son softly pronouncing their enjoyment and awe of the moment.   I will never forget this moment.  By taking the time to slow down, and just be, my memory of this moment in time will always be one of amazement and awe.

"Savor the moment hereafter."  Douglas Ross

"Develop an appreciation for the present moment.  Seize every second of your life and savor it."

"Savor the moment, search for a little joy, and you will find a great deal of it in unexpected places."

It is so easy to just rush through my day, rush through life, in an effort to get everything done.  To check off all my items on the list.  But when I do that, I find myself dissatisfied.  This feeling of being in a hurry doesn't leave room for enjoyment. So my continued challenge to myself, and my challenge to you is to take some time today and stop.  Savor that moment.  Remember how you feel, what you smell, what you hear, and what you see.  Enjoy it.  I believe it is a lost art in our culture, but one that is an important key to living joyfully.  

So today, I'll leave you with a few more photos of the frost that recently covered the ground around my house.  I went out and enjoyed a few minutes of watching how the frost met the sunlight and created this amazing fall landscape.