The RDI community recently lost a dear consultant colleague and friend whose sudden passing seems unreal. When things like this happen in life it causes many of us to examine our values and priorities. The "what if" questions creep to the forefront of our minds and we think about what we would cherish and place the most value on if we found out that we would be gone tomorrow. When I stop to think about what matters most it always involves my family and memories of the time spent with them. If I knew that tonight would be the last time I would read my kids a bedtime story, I would make it the best bedtime story-time we ever had. I would slow down and really enjoy that moment in time - snuggling with them to read and talk on the couch. So many times I find myself rushing through that as part of the "bedtime routine" instead of making the most of it and cherishing the time with them. I find that happens a lot - I get caught up in the busyness of life and don't take time to enjoy the small moments. But, when I stop to think about it, it's those small moments that mean the most. It's those moments that shape the hearts and minds of my children; those moments that I'll think back on and cherish when my kids are grown and out of the house; those moments that I will remember most as meaningful ones in my life.
We get so busy in the routine of living our lives that we forget to slow down and really enjoy the moments that, in the end, will matter most. I want to leave my children a legacy of time spent together doing what is most important. I don't want my legacy to be that I got a lot done in my lifetime, or that I excelled in my work, or that I took them lots of places. Those might be good things, but they are not the most important things. I want my legacy to be of time spent living well with my family - of time spent teaching, and learning, and loving together. It's unfortunate that it sometimes takes major events in our lives, or the passing of those we knew and loved, to stop and examine our priorities. But that's one way to honor their lives - to stop and prioritize our own so that we make the most of the life we have to live. What legacy are you creating with your family?
Until next week,
Nicole
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1 comment:
So well put! Ironically enough, I just finished typing a letter to my younger daughter's school complaining about the amount of homework, which has been cutting into our valuable evening time, and tonight I limited the homework time to a more reasonable limit and made sure not to rush our bedtime story (although it took us until 10:00 to finish the chapter!)
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