Present in the Present.....

Research shows that those who have a clear cut goals are more likely to achieve favorable results. Those who write down their goals increase the probability for success by 50%. Goals are great! Goals are necessary. We need them to give focus and vision to our future. If we did not have goals we might end up like the farmer who wanted to take a trip,but never left the farm because he did not know where he was going. He had no map or plan. He only drove up and down the driveway for a week. He put a lot of miles on his pickup truck- but didn't really enjoy the trip! There are those who have a dream to "do something- someday". They plan for and save for a vacation ,an education, a new house or a special occasion. They may dream of marriage ,a family or a new job. They work, dream and wait for the day that their dream comes true. They might even think that their life is not worth living until that dream comes true! The goal becomes everything, the focus is on the future alone. It is often easy to become so centered on our "some-day" that we neglect to enjoy and treasure our today!! Today is the day that is set before us-today is our banquet-our meal-our daily bread- our manna! As the children of Israel traveled through the desert in search of the promised land, the Lord provided them with all they needed to survive and thrive. He provided bread and nourishment for them each day. The provision of bread, however, was just enough for that one day. They were given strict instructions not to gather more than what they needed for that day. If they took more than one days portion- the extra would get moldy and full of worms. They were required to live in the present!! To be fully present in the present each and every moment is not something that comes easily to most people. To be fully engaged in another's life is a precious gift that is not given by many. We rush, we hurry we have places to go and people to see- we have things that need to be accomplished and deadlines and appointments to be kept. We must travel through life on fast track speed- for we do not want life to pass us by. If we stop-if we get off the treadmill, hamster wheel or merry-go-round ( you pick your mode of craziness!! )... well, who knows what might happen- we just might miss something! We may miss a promotion, an opportunity to get ahead or make an extra dollar. After all, we are working for a goal- we have a plan- we are on a course for success...and we will NOT be sidetracked!!! Wow- I am tired just thinking about the craziness! Life is busy, there are demands on our time and our resources. I am a mom, a wife and a grandmother to two beautiful little boys. I work, take care of our home, am involved in ministry and I have hobbies and friends. I often feel that I am on the hamster wheel too. But, I am making deliberate choices for a short time each day, to get off that wheel- stop- breathe- and focus. It might be a walk, a time to journal and reflect, or just a time to sit and to be still. There are parents who are always yearning for the next stage of their child's life- if they are crawling, they wish for them to walk. When they are walking, they want them to be talking, when they are in preschool- they look forward to elementary school. Then soon they are spending countless hours driving them to school and sporting events, anticipating that soon they will be able to drive themselves...the kids go off to college and those same parents then wonder where all the years have gone? I too am guilty of wishing away some of the craziness and challenges of raising my children. But, I am thankful to several moms, including my own, who learned through their own experiences and impressed on me when my children were small, that the days and years would go quickly- and not to become so caught up in all that "must" be done- missing out on the moments that will never come again. The laundry will be there tomorrow, the dust will reappear shortly after you shine the furniture and of course the dishes multiply with every tick of the clock. My husband and I have a dream of packing up our RV "someday" and traveling the country. We talk, we dream, we shop, we count the cost (ouch) and we dream a little more. We are not sure exactly how the dream will look when it happens or when it will happen- but we know it is still a few years "out there". Now, if we were to allow that dream to become the focus of everything we did- we would miss so much of today! Our youngest son is going on 16 years old and will soon be driving a car and having a job. ACT tests and college visits are in the very near future. The time we have with him will become less and less- the opportunites that we have to pour into his life will become fewer and fewer. Soon, all of the shoes in front of my back door will be stacked and in order. Lunches and backpacks will not be strewn about my kitchen. The phone will be silent and there will be no empty pizza boxes and pepsi cans on the counters. BUT- today there are shoes in front of the door, the pizza and friends are everywhere. There will be cross country meets to watch and I will be the "crazy mom" at almost every event- cheering and yelling wildly for my son and each of his friends as they run by! There will be marching band perfomances at football games to watch,band concerts and festivals to attend. I will pay for band camp and school clothes and incredibly expensive running shoes. I will "ask for a turn" on what I think is still "my" computer because he is busy IM ing all of his friends. I will enjoy today- I will smile when he asks if five friends can spend the night in our camper- I will hug him and be amazed that he is mine. I will enjoy him today, and I will connect in whatever way I am able- I will chose today...to be present in his life and the life of his friends! I will not forget my goals and the dreams for "someday" but I will choose to enjoy every moment of every day! I WILL not wish away today- because I am thankful for today- I am looking forward to tomorrow but, I WILL choose be present in the present....today!