Day 60. I have chosen to live intentionally toward the goals, dreams and desires God has placed on my heart for the last 90 days of this year, pressing past fear, excuses and discomfort toward fullness of life as we countdown to 2020. Day 60: practicing presence
As my amazing daughter approaches her teen years, I am filled with clichés:
They grow so quickly.
The days are long, but the years are short.
They grow up before you know it.
Time flies.
Cliché or not, all these things are true. Six years. Six years is all that’s left until she is coming home on Fall break from college. When I contemplate this, I swallow hard, choke back some tears, and yet delight in who she is becoming and who she is.
She is an intelligent, strong, fierce, young woman, who stands up for her friends and herself. She embodies the word loyal. She is a deep thinker, a comedian and a creative. If humanly possible, she asks more questions than I do, and I am so glad she does. She boldly speaks her mind, and inquisitively listens to those whose views differ. She breaks down complex problems and devises simple solutions. Importantly, she knows what gives her life, and she already leans into healthy rhythms of rest at 12—I hope she holds on to this.
My words fall short of my love for her. They really do. I am far from being a perfect parent, but I receive fully moments like today when we have time together. Moments when I am present and see what makes her come alive. Moments when I get to hear her say, “Put the amp setting on Metallica!” Moments when I get to listen to the songs she has taught herself on the piano. When I get to hear her heart and see how she is evolving, transforming and living. It is a gift to slow long enough to truly receive moments like these. I think in these moments we are helping each other along the way.
ACTION STEPS: In the documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, the audience is invited into a common challenge given by Fred Rogers: Think about someone who is helped you along the way for one minute.
Name that person. Contemplate with gratitude what they did for you and be encouraged. God showed his love for you through that person. God delights in being present to you.
“From the time you were very little you have had people who have smiled you into smiling, talked you into talking, sung you into singing, loved you into loving. Some may be right here. Some far away. Some might even be in heaven. Deep down you know they have always wanted what is best for you. They have always cared about you beyond measure and encouraged you to be true to the best within you.”
Fred Rogers
