Cherish the Moment

Cherish the moment - what does that mean?
It is a recurring theme in so many of the blogs that I 'frequent'. The women who write these blogs have suffered indescribable loss, the loss of their newborn infants. Many of them chose to carry their unborn baby to term even though they were not promised one minute with them alive. These mothers showed true love to their babies while they carried them in their womb, learning to cherish each and every moment with them. Once born, some of these precious babies lived only moments, minutes or hours but during their incredibly short life time, their family cherished each and every minute with them, knowing that their time was short.
Other babies lived a little longer - a matter of days and some weeks. These families knew the end was coming and made a point of cherishing the moments that they did have with their baby instead of focusing on what was sure to come. They knew that each minute spent with them was a blessing, something that they were never promised so they spent their days making memories.
Still others are living with a chronically ill child, never knowing when they will be again separated from family back in the hospital. They too, cherish each and every moment that they are able to spend together in their own home, with their family.
Marie is one such lady who has known great loss through the death of her son Elijah. She shared recently about how it is because of Elijah's passing that she tries to cherish each moment with her other children. It was a timely reminder for me. I have never known loss of the magnitude that she has and I must say that I struggle to cherish the moment. It is too easy to get caught up in 'everyday life', taking care of the family and the house, educating the children at home and all that this entails! Many times I just can't be bothered. Marie (and many others through their blogs) has reminded me how important my children (and husband) are and the importance of cherishing each and every moment with them.
No one ever said on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at work. They always wish they had spent more time with their family."
As a home schooling mum I actually spend a lot of time with my children but I know that I am not always 'with them', my mind is so often elsewhere. I pray that God will help me to cherish the moments that I do have with my family, starting now!