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| our rehearsal dinner |
21 // As a college senior, studying abroad and feeling invincible, I lost my great-grandmother. I abruptly flew home to be with loved ones and was reminded of the importance of family. This single event changed my interactions with my parents and grandparents, I gift of which I remain grateful to this day.
22 // Completing my final events as a college athlete, graduating, planning a wedding, and job searching, I learned the hard way, the importance of being content.
Once we became content, thanking God for his blessings rather than spending our time looking for something bigger and better, God laid out a plan for new jobs, and new city, and moved everything into place.
23 // Preparing to leave Boston, I realized the importance of seizing the day. I looked at my city with new eyes, and finally explored the hidden gems I had neglected.
24 // New jobs and demanding schedules pulled Mark and I in different directions. The wisdom of friends directed us towards marriage counseling, and only then did we begin to use our words to edify each other first. I learned the importance of loving communication.
25 // I learned to stop worrying. (I am still learning to stop worrying...)
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it empties today of its strengths. - Corrie Ten Boom
26 // I learned that grieving is a process, a long slow process, and that is okay.
27 // After having Behr and receiving an outpouring of love and support from our friends here in DC, I learned what it looks like to be a resource that serves others.
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| a hidden gems of our vacation, being able to comfort this little guy when he was under the weather |
28 // Juggling work, home, and motherhood, I catch myself constantly looking for the next thing to tackle. I want to slow down, to spend this year living in the moment. I hope that I can look back and see progress, that I can declare with determination that I learned to be present.
Being present.
With that, I turn to you, my friends.
How do you do it? What are your secrets?
How do you stay present at dinner with your husband, over a cup of coffee with a girlfriend, on the phone with your mom, reading books to your kids... In life's most precious moments, how do block out the distractions, ignore your phone, forget your to-do list, and simply be present? How do you decide to enjoy the moment instead of capturing the moment with your camera?
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A tremendous thanks goes out to Sarah of Fairy Tales Are True for continuing this series, and inviting other bloggers to join her. Thinking back over these lessons, and the blessing of God during this course of time, has proved to be a blessing of its own. Thanks for letting me share along with you!
Oh man I loved reading this. I'm finding it super hard to be present lately. I feel like I'm always trying to do something or be somewhere or just...I don't know. Do everything else but pay attention to my life. Sigh. Sometimes we just need to slow down.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, I love all of the insight. Being present--something I am actively working on these days. Strategies for me: stop trying to multitask; put down the phone/Blackberry; make my family my priority; pick up the camera for inspiration, not obligation. So far, it's working.
ReplyDeleteWhitney, this comment is packed with practical wisdom! Thanks so much for sharing.
DeleteI love all these 20s posts I've been seeing. So cute. Thx for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time doing that, and the best way I've fond, sometimes, is just to leave my phone at home. I know. I can hardly cope (and let's be real, most often when I do that, it's totally an accident, but it always ends up a happy accident.)
ReplyDeleteOh, you know what I did today? Mmmhmmmm. Bubbles, on the balcony. No phone (oaky, one quick picture.) And it was lovely, and present, and really really calming.
Bubbles on the balcony may be one of my favorite activities with Behr, probably because it requires both of my hands so I can't be on my phone...
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