Happy New Year to all the CPS faithful. I’m CPSDarren’s wife, here to write a guest blog. Something light, something inspiring, something uniquely me. He doesn’t ask for much.
It’s Friday night here, as winter break draws to a close. This is always a peaceful and reflective time for me, when I most sense my connection to my family, my faith, and my spirit.
It’s been a bit of a crazy day, perhaps an icon for the entire year – we filled it with homemade cinnamon rolls in the morning, Disney Channel at lunch, a Chipmunks movie in the afternoon, one enormous tantrum, a few naps, endless laundry, homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner, a daughter baking cookies, a son playing video games, another stomping his feet and screaming, and now this.
In the midst of the swirl, I sit here in the darkened room, staring out the window – miraculously feeling only peace and gratitude for having seen the beauty in this day. Sure my pulse is racing a bit, but I know this will pass. Somewhere inside, there is a stillness that cannot be touched.
It’s dark outside. The neighborhood lights are twinkling off the fallen snow and icicles. The trees are bare, save the evergreens, reminding us that amongst all this frigid darkness, life remains. Maybe that’s why the universe grants us the gift to see our breath in the gloomy cold of winter – a great reminder that somewhere deep within, our warm blood flows and we are, in fact, alive.
You’ve been offered a great gift – to have seen another day, let alone a new year and a new decade. Find a peaceful moment and stand in the stillness. Rediscover your connection and feel your life, coursing through your body. Life is. We aren’t asked to perfect it, nor control it, nor defend against it, nor fear it, nor conquer it. We are simply asked to live it, and to awaken to the hidden gifts that reveal themselves in the individual moments. They are there all around you. So, relax and flow in the river of your life.
Enjoy the ride. May you awaken to your beauty and peace in the new year.
http://www.lshs64.com/enjoytheride.html
Thank you for your wonderful writing. I just took a deep breath after reading that. Now I am going to go snuggle with my kids, and read them some books. Savor their youth, and the sweet smell of their necks.
-Melissa-
Welcome! And thank you so much for that poignant reminder to “enjoy the ride”. It’s so easy to lose that perspective in the chaos of the daily grind.
Nice to hear from you, Mrs. CPSDarren! And thanks for the remeinder to slow down and reflect now and then. With three kids (ages newborn to 8), a house to take care of, etc. it’s sometimes hard to remember the important things.
Beautiful, thank you!
Welcome, Mrs., and thanks for the wonderful reminder to slow down and enjoy those things that matter most to us: family and the environment around us. Even though I have the winter blahs, I still try to look out the window around 4:30 to see the colors in the sky as the sun sets (you won’t catch me up at sunrise, lol). And every day my kids catch me off guard by the things they do, whether it’s my ds’s wry sense of humor shining through or my dd’s silliness–they crack me up!
fabulous and wise words.
I find myself doing that all the time… it helps me be more patient because those moments of silence give me a chance to count my blessings… or, if I’m moments from just wanting to scream at my kids, a chance to realize that the noise and chaos is a good thing… as it means I have my family.
What a wonderful perspective. Thanks for the post. Happy New Year!
Beautifully written! Thank you for that post. I, too, am reminded in the midst of the grief of losing my Eva, there is still life to be lived. 2010 will be a year of renewed life and faith for our family. I wish it for all of you as well.
Happy New Year!