Challenge

Question: Are you a re-reader? Do you enjoy a book or a set of books and put them on a shelf for a few months... or years and then pick them up to enjoy again? I know I do.

I enjoy keeping my books in my 'Library' which is really an over sized pantry off my kitchen. I delight in just being surrounded by them. I often go back in and grab a favorite. It's like returning to a favorite vacation spot or visiting an old friend.

Being who I am, I will often start skimming whole paragraphs just to find out the important part: What happens?! So, when I read it again and already know or vaguely remember what happens I read more carefully and discover details that I simply skimmed over before.

The real question, though, is: Do we live life that way? Sometimes do we peripherally notice what's actually happening with our kids and lives while we rush towards what happens next. Are we ever so excited about the next phase, step, or chapter in our lives that we barely notice the details of today.

It's ok, you don't have to answer. I will admit that there have been areas or times in my life where I barely remember any of the details at all. If I were writing an autobiography those parts of my life would read like over-edited newspaper articles. I can tell you the who, what, where, when and maybe even the why... But can I tell you how we felt? What we noticed? The questions Gwen was encouraged to ask and what encouraged them in the first place? The answers I did or did not give her? The 'God moments' that occurred?

Maybe not.

We only get a short time in this world. Our time with our young children is even shorter. I want to cherish every moment and delight in every discovery, now, while it is happening. Real life re-reads are only as good as we make them the first time. It is impossible to immerse yourself in a memory that you didn't pay attention to the first time around. Sadly, there will be too many blurry parts.

I challenge all of us to pay closer attention to the present we have been given (the PRESENT, get it? It's a gift). We only have one chance to get the whole story.