ENCOURAGED IN HEART

Today, as I sat in my comfy private time chair and looked out my window, I reveled as the leaves on the tree outside swayed, in a gentle hula dance.

I thought, “I can’t wait until fall; I love the chilly crisp air and spray of vibrant hues.”

And then I remember saying this past fall, after the beautifully painted leaves dropped to the ground, “I can’t wait untilwinter; I love wearing chunky turtle neck cable sweaters and watching the snow fall.”

And, after the winter we just endured here in Northern Virginia, which was record-breaking snowfalls, it’s easy to remember, “I can’t wait until the spring to get here already. I am SO over shoveling snow (but not the snowball fights)!”

And then spring arrived to both Cal and I sneezing our ever lovin’ brains out where I declared, “Pollen be gone!” and, “I can’t wait until summer’s here already.”

Jake turned EIGHT today. I can’t help but get reflective, particularly on milestone days. I remember saying, “I can’t wait until we have kids.” Which took, in my opinion, far too long and far too many tears to occur; but today I see the bigger purpose from that painful season. Then, at full gestation, in the Virginia heat with cankles (calves+ankles being just one = cankles) eight summers ago, “I can’t wait until this baby gets out!”

Then, tripping over the bulky and endless accessories that babies seem to “need”, the quadruple amount of time required to run a simple errand, the sleepless nights, unshaven legs, nursing bras, plugged milk ducts, baby puke on one (or both) shoulders, “I can’t wait until this baby can talk…feed himself…walk…go to school…etc.”

It’s been an endless vicious cycles of “I can’t wait until’s…”

In my finances, “I can’t wait until we’re out of debt…”

Even in my eating life, “I can’t wait until I can have another slice of cake (while I’m still eating the first piece)” or “I can’t wait until I get to my goal weight.”

I don’t think it’s wrong to look forward to the future, as I believe it’s an essential ingredient to faith. But I do believe solely focusing on the “until” moment, squeezes the nutritious juice out of the orange of my life, and leaves me with just the pulp.

Well, I want to enjoy both the juice and the pulp. My choice of only taking part allows the beauty and essence of today to be stolen. And the most annoying thing of it all was that I signed that permission slip.

What’s your, “I can’t wait until…?”

Don’t be like me.

Squeeze the essence out of today. Savor both the pulp and juice. Look for the beautiful trees doing the hula in your hood. Don’t do the dishes today (that is, unless your house is on the market…then do the dishes!) and choose to savor that you have people in your life – savor that gift without the distraction of one “I can’t wait until…“.

I know one adorable birthday boy that I CAN wait until he gets his driver’s licence. (I’ve seen the child play Wii Mario Kart and drive the track at Disney, I can wait!)

Don’t wait until…be mindful to be in the moment and savor now! I’m off to savor a shower, my awesome church and my birthday boy on our family day!