Sometimes the dots connect....I heard Jan Johnson speak last week and bought her book "Enjoying the Presence of God" - her words are such a sweet reminder to slow down, to listen, to be still, to be aware.
And then I had the chance to hang out with my favorite 3 year old for a few days and I remembered all over again that toddlers don't live by a watch but by instinct. That the discovery of a bug, a flower, a rock, is a reason to stop in their tracks and fully experience wonder. The rest of the world continues to whirl by Crew while he watches black ants marching on sidewalks, smells a petunia he found lying on a busy downtown street, rolls a smooth rock over and over between his hands.
When is the sad moment in our lives when this depth of experiental living is lost - when we live by lists and calendars and agendas? Is it possible as an adult to recapture a bit more of intentional living? Yes, I believe it is, but it's going to take some practice.
What an unlikely looking spiritual director this little boy turns out to be so often. How grateful I am for his presence in my heart and life.
Johnson writes "Living in the present moment means that I value the processes of life as well as the products. When I plant a magenta bougainvillaea, I'm not only adding color and beauty to the landscape, but I'm also having a good time interacting with God's creation. I relish God's presence as I crumble the earth between my fingers, meet up with rocks and worms, and watch my cuticles become ragged."
Sometimes the Lord brings me a word or a phrase that lingers for awhile and I have learned to let it seep into the corners of my life. The title of this post is currently taking up residency - it comes from a little poem by Eve Merriam I discovered years ago. Here's the rest of the poem.....
A Lazy Thought
There go the grownups
To the office,
To the store.
Subway rush,
Traffic crush;
Hurry, scurry,
Worry, flurry.
No wonder
Grownups
Don't grow up
Any more.
It takes a lot
Of slow
To grow."
It takes a lot of slow to grow.
4 comments:
very cute! yes, we do need to slow down and see the wonders that God puts all around us.
i love that poem and loved how it was on the package you sent him too! thanks so much for coming. we all miss you!
I remember it taking 45 minutes to get from the circle to the fork with Eric in the stroller and Brad examining everything from rocks to branches to bugs. What fun to see the wheels turning as they explore and digest the world God made!
i really like this one mari
~nate
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