Two blessings to my weekend...too lovely not to share.
One is this wonderful blog post by Karen Edmisten. I'm very thankful she "dipped into her archives" to re-post "When They're Older..." a reflection on parenting and "living in the moment" that moved me to tears (even while I grinned wryly at how much I saw myself and our family in it). Every once in a while, I read something that's so moving, so right, so much something I need to hear at this precise moment that I think, "Well, Lord, that was for me, wasn't it?" Of course I know it's not *just* for me! Which is just one reason I decided to share it.
The other is a beautiful ballad that my friend Erin posted on YouTube. It's called Lucy's Lament, and is inspired, as so many of Erin's creations are, by her love for a particular story or character, in this case Lucy Pevensie of Narnia. Erin is a marvelous poet. In fact, I first got to know her (and I'm so thankful I did) after she posted this poem a few years ago on Epinions. I found it so moving that I wrote her an email about it, and the rest, as they say, is history. A handful of years, much correspondence, a couple of re-reading blogs, and two real-life visits later, she and I are still friends -- and I still love this poem. I'm so glad she has now set it to music.
4 comments:
Awww, thanks, Beth! I'm glad you like it - and I'm so glad we're still friends too! :D You've enriched my life immensely these last few years.
Wonderful post from Karen Edmisten. I really like her insights, and that felt especially poignant. Of course, it goes the other way, too; I have more of a tendency to play "When They Were Younger," especially with my brothers, as I'm not someone who deals with change very well. But it's important to focus on the all wonderful things about this stage of life...
Erin, you're welcome! I meant to send you a note to tell you I was linking the poem here, but I didn't think you'd mind. :) I do still love it -- I'll have to write to you with some of the thoughts I had about it yesterday.
I'm glad you enjoyed Karen's post too. You're right, it can go "both ways" -- we can also sometimes get lost in nostalgia, and that stymies us from living in the moment too. There are definitely times to look ahead and to remember, but we don't want to get stuck in either place. :-)
Beth (and Erin!), thanks for the kind words and the link. I agree about it going both ways, too. The grass can always seem greener, looking both forward and back. It's a challenge to live "the sacrament of the moment," as de Caussade puts it.
Blessings!
Karen, I almost mentioned de Caussade in this post...he certainly came to mind as I reflected on what you wrote! I've been thinking a lot lately about our whole attitude toward time, and the ways in which we, as creatures made for eternity, sometimes struggle with it (though the struggle is not necessarily bad -- it can yield fruit).
Blessings back!
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