All too soon

My mother-in-law BG recently sent me two articles in the mail related to being present (see this post) and to the journey being more important than the destination (see this post). The first article appeared in the Ladies' Home Journal in the late 1950's or early 1960's. In it, a mother of four children realizes that all too soon her youngest child would be grown up and she'd lose the precious moments of babyhood.

As I sat quietly watching and answering his repeated “Da?” I realized how little time I had left for such enjoyment. All too soon his body will no longer be round and soft, nor his mannerisms the enchanting ones of babyhood; he would no longer want to be held and played with. Why was I so often in a hurry to change his diapers, put on his little shoes, pull on his snowsuit, in the evening to pop him into his crib? In every part of my life I was continually thinking ahead, rather than enjoying the task in hand. When had I last stopped to look out at the garden, or waited – quietly accessible – for the children to come and talk, to find my attention undividedly theirs?

The second article is from the March 1997 issue of Ensign magazine. The article covers a lot of ground but one of the topics it discusses is the importance of the journey.

[The fact is] most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise … Life is like an old-time rail journey – delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.

Some important things to remember.