A really funny thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago at the beach. Our girls are not shy. This is not a secret. I was out "riding the waves" with them when a little boy approached us. He was alone but his parents were on the shore setting up a tent for the day. He began to listen to the girls conversation about having "boyfriends". He came over and started talking to us and said "Don't you think you are too young to talk about dating and having a boyfriend? I'm 9. You should at LEAST get to my age before you have to start thinking about that stuff." I had to suppress laughing out loud. I asked him if 9 was the age you had to worry about that. He replied by telling me that yes, you had to start thinking about it around 9 because you have to decide on someone to marry by the time you are 18. I wondered at this point if I was talking to just a goofy kid or a poor victim of some strange religious cult or something! The girls enjoyed challenging him on everything he was saying... that they DID have boyfriends and they DO go on dates, etc. I just sat back and watched it all unfold so hilariously! The little boy told me you have to decide and make a good decision by the age of 18 so that you won't get divorced later and "mess your life up". I told him I agreed with him... that good decisions were very important but that if you do mess up, you can still move on and have lots of happiness and a great life, with the right mindset of course. After that, because I had absolutely NO IDEA where this child's ideas came from, I turned back to the girls and their silly talk of princes and castles and happy ever afters. All of our kids have unique situations. I've mentioned that many times before. Stan and I talk so often about missed opportunities, bad decisions, and life choices and where they lead us. We've known each other since elementary school. It would be easy to dwell on thoughts like "why didn't we get together then?", "why did we have to go down different paths to get here?" or any other thing that could be thought of. I don't know the reason why, but I know there is a reason our lives fall into place as they do. We can have regrets, we can have a painful past, we can have the experiences of broken marriages and loss and everything in between... but what matters is NOW. What matters is today. This moment. It's all we can do anything about. The time spent in the misery of the past matters not. What matters is now. My wish and my hope for anyone living with doubt about their past is that they could have the gift I get every single day. Stan tells me constantly that the past 2.5 years with me has been more fulfilling than his prior 36 years combined. That is a blessing to hear and a testament to the fact that it is never too late to live your happily ever after. So, after all of those thoughts over the random conversation with an unknown child at the beach that day, my mind went to this song, which is SO old now... Steven Curtis Chapman has always spoken to me through his music. So let's all focus on the miracle of the moment...Breathe it in and breathe it out... Listen to your heartbeat... and look forward to the moments ahead. For the moments behind us are behind us for a reason... The moments ahead are the ones most worthwhile. For some of us, it just takes us longer to figure all of it out.
Miracle of the Moment Steven Curtis Chapman It's time for letting go All of our "if onlies" Cause we don't have a time machine
And even if we did Would we really want to use it Would we really want to go change everything
Cause we are who and where and what we are for now And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out And listen to your heartbeat There's a wonder in the here and now It's right there in front of you And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
There's only One who knows What's really out there waiting And all the moments yet to be And all we need to know Is He's out there waiting To Him the future's history
And He has given us a treasure called right now And this is the only moment we can do anything about
So breathe it in and breathe it out And listen to your heartbeat There's a wonder in the here and now It's right there in front of you And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
And if it brings you tears Then taste them as they fall Let them soften your heart
And if it brings you laughter Then throw your head back And let it go Let it go, yeah You gotta let it go
And listen to your heartbeat
And breathe it in and breathe it out And listen to your heartbeat There's a wonder in the here and now It's right there in front of you And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
And breathe it in and breathe it out And listen to your heartbeat There's a wonder in the here and now It's right there in front of you And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment
