In the Book I'm reading right now called One Thousand Gifts by: Ann Voskamp, she has a Chapter titled A Sanctuary Of Time. And I already know it's gonna be my favorite chapter! She says "Time is a relentless river. It rages on, a respecter of no one. And this, this is the only way to slow time: When I fully enter time's swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here. I can slow the torrent by being all here. I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment." "Give Thanks and get time; Give Thanks . . . slow time down with all your attention!"
By not waisting time worrying about the future, or dwelling on the past. By just simply being present in the moment, noticing what's happening right here, right now and being Thankful for it slows time down. I have always tried to Cherish every Moment with my kids! Fully enjoying every stage of their lives, and this was such a great reminder that by just paying attention, being Thankful for the here and now can slow time! And as a Mom, that's all I want!
The day we moved into this house, my kids climbed into the built in wall unit. So of course we had to take their picture! I have always loved this picture of the 4 of them! And on that day I said we will have to take another picture just like this when we move out of this house! Well, we still live here, but my oldest son recently moved out into his own place & got Married! So we retook the picture before he left. We moved the T.V., the Stereo, all the pictures, etc. out of the wall unit, so the kids could strike the same poses they did on that day 11 years ago! Retaking the picture brought tears to my eyes! They have grown up so much! A visual reminder of how time passes!
"Wherever you are, be all there. I don't reach forward and I don't reach back and I weigh the moment down with full attention here." "I'm growing older. These children growing up. But time is not running out. This day is not a sieve, losing time. With each passing minute, each passing year, there's this deepening awareness that I am filling, gaining time. We stand on the brink of eternity." Today and Everyday I am Thankful for Memories in the form of Photographs. They help us hang on to those moments we treasure. Take the time to notice the moments.