The Tale of Our Quest: Taking Time to Breathe

You know how sometimes a visual can sometimes help you see life in a new way? Ever since I wrote about "Learning How to Breathe," I have found the following visual keeps entering my mind and helping me remember the important principle of taking time to breathe:

I imagine my "Priority List" (my to-do list that I write and prioritize everyday) as a view of my day's journey. Then I get started on my way. Knowing that this entire life is a journey with grand vistas, new discoveries, and challenging obstacles; and that I will reach my destination regardless of how "far" I get - as long as I learn to love in the process; I realize that I must take time to take it in: love, laugh, see, smell and feel. I picture myself stopping often to enjoy all I see because this is how I learn to love.

I have a tendency, when I have a "to do" list, to get so caught up on what I have to do that I forget to enjoy. That is why I usually give up on lists. I don't like to live feeling worried about all there is to do that day. That is why this "breathing" visual has been so nice for me. It reminds me to put the list aside and just breathe-in the breath of life.

So that is what I have been working on. When I see a bonding opportunity or a chance to enjoy a moment before me - I realize this is an oppotunity to "breathe", to take in the adventure and feel gratitude for being. I tell myself, "It is time to breathe." I know in my heart that this means that it is time to connect and feel His love. God has given us so many ways to connect to Him: admiring beauty, laughing with people we love, hugs, inspiring words of truth, prayer, service, temples, the process of discovery, stillness, His whisperings to our soul, connecting to others... the list goes on. He wants us to reach out to Him and to stay close. So I remind myself, "it is time to connect."

For example, we had a random snow day last week. The kids wanted to play in the snow so Little Miss got them all geared up to go outside. As I watched them get ready to go, I thought, "I could go play out there with them." Then, of course, I remembered the big pile of laundry waiting on the couch, the meal preparations still to be done, the messes still needing to be cleaned, and the hassle of finding snow clothes to put on. Then I thought, "Don't let this opportunity to breathe pass you by." So I got ready (thankfully Little Miss had done the hard work of getting the boys ready or I may not have talked myself into it) and played outside. We made forts and snowmen and threw snow at each other. I taught Gem how to make a snow angel. We later cleaned indoors and still had a nice meal. Even if the evening was a little more busy with laundry and meal prep than it would otherwise have been, I felt peaceful through it all. It was another witness to me that when I put first things first, I feel right and I find joy, even in the mundane.

Here are some breathing moments from the last two weeks (I didn't have time to write last week because I was preparing for a Passover meal that I was in charge of putting together with 3 other families. We all enjoyed it and I learned a lot and gained an appreciation for that symbolic ritual - I forgot to take pictures though).

Some park pictures, I had like 80 pictures of Ladybug on a swing. So these are just a few samples :-)

Random snow day: It was here and gone in one day!

Bazinks turned 9 this week. We took him presents and cards in bed, ate sugary cereal; had a picnic at the park (sandwiches with white bread); watched a movie with friends; and ate pizza, cake and ice cream. We all had stomach aches by the end of his fun day :-) His favorite presents were some young Venus Fly Traps).