I read this quote from Dr. Seuss today and thought that it was just what I needed for this week leading up to Christmas.
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” ~ Dr. Seuss
As Christmas rushes toward us, many of us are trying to finish the shopping, finalize the menu for the big feast or party, juggle schedules so that there is time to see everyone, and do it all while somehow maintaining a pleasant attitude! It dawned on me that while each of these things might need to be done, there might just be some wisdom in the words from Dr. Seuss. So often we are waiting for the ‘finished product’ so that we can turn it into a memory. The truth is that there is a chance to create a memory while we are hustling about getting ready to make memories!
I think about some of the things that have become memories in our family story. The ones that have made the memory book were not always the ones that we planned for. Nor were they the ones that cost the most money. When I think back to all of the years that we lived on our acreage one of the things that I find myself missing this year is seeing the deer on the back lawn. When they came up toward the house on Christmas Eve, while I cooked or did dishes I loved to watch out the window as they stood so peacefully in the back yard. To be honest, I can’t say for certain what I was cooking, but I can say that I will not soon forget the beauty of those moments.
I know that many times Jim and I wrestled with what might be the perfect gift for one of the kids only to discover, once all of the expensive gifts had been opened, that a small deck of Five Crown has given our family hours and hours and hours of happy memories.
In a similar way, a bad memory can also be created in the blink of an eye. Often we don’t even know it until the moment is over and we realize that our short temper, or inattention, or lack of thoughtfulness has hurt someone, or robbed our family of a potential positive memory making opportunity. Placed at just the right (wrong) time, moments like this can make memories that are not easily erased.
This holiday season, I am not only going to make sure that I find just the right presents for everyone; I will also make sure that I am present. I will try to be conscious about how I am showing up to each activity. I’m pretty certain that many of the memories made this Christmas will come when I least expect them. I’m hoping to add to the good ones.
I wish for each of you a very Merry Christmas, filled with many memory making moments! May you give and receive the gifts of presents and presence.
With that spirit in mind, I will be present with my family for the next 10 days. You can read my next blog on the first weekend in January, when I’ll be back.
Merry Christmas!
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