This weekend, I noticed something funny. A little plant, that sits right on the window sill by the kitchen sink, has died due to lack of water! 20 cm from the tap that we stand at probably 15 times a day and still no water for the plant!?! How ironic is that? Or is it? As I reflected on this, I thought about focus and attention... where was my mind each day that I stood by the sink and that little plant waited for me to water it? What else was so important that I couldn't take the 10 seconds to pop it under the tap....and yet I didn't!
Cancer has been for me in some ways, a 'clarifier'. How do I want to spend my discretionary time? Who am I comfortable sharing not only the 'ups' but also the 'downs' with? What I am noticing about myself in this journey - where am I frustrated? stretched? inspired? Yet, all of this learning and growth could mean very little if I don't take the time to 'water' it.
I wonder about other things in my life that sit, perched, waiting for my attention. Maybe it's a lesson that needs to be internalized, a skill that needs to be practiced, a relationship that needs to be nurtured....
Because today's Mother's Day - I am also reflecting in the gift of my 3 children - each unique, and each so special to me. I have always felt (though not always lived) the importance of noticing and taking time for them. As they move into adulthood, the joy I get from conversations, the laughter (and sometimes tears) we share together, feeds my soul. I say to young mom's I talk to now that the time between 2 and 20 goes so quickly - and it's true. In a world that competes for our time and attention, how precious it is to carve out that time as a mom.
In our move to Victoria 5 years ago, I wondered how we as a family would get by living on two sides of the country. While it certainly has had its challenges, and we couldn't have done it without family and friends - one of the best by-products, in my opinion, is that we don't take time together for granted. We love the memories we have made here in the West, and we also look forward to times together in the East...and where we are matters so much less, than setting aside the time to be together.
I will be celebrating my "mother's day" next weekend as I join my cousin and her family and my kids at a family cottage on Sauble Beach in Ontario. This place has been in our family since the 1940's - our kids are the 4th generation growing up there. This is a place where relationships get watered - where fun is inevitable, and love shows up in full force. There, we will be catching up - getting to drink the 'water' we need to continue to grow individually and together, and for this I feel incredibly blessed!
Cancer has been for me in some ways, a 'clarifier'. How do I want to spend my discretionary time? Who am I comfortable sharing not only the 'ups' but also the 'downs' with? What I am noticing about myself in this journey - where am I frustrated? stretched? inspired? Yet, all of this learning and growth could mean very little if I don't take the time to 'water' it.
I wonder about other things in my life that sit, perched, waiting for my attention. Maybe it's a lesson that needs to be internalized, a skill that needs to be practiced, a relationship that needs to be nurtured....
Because today's Mother's Day - I am also reflecting in the gift of my 3 children - each unique, and each so special to me. I have always felt (though not always lived) the importance of noticing and taking time for them. As they move into adulthood, the joy I get from conversations, the laughter (and sometimes tears) we share together, feeds my soul. I say to young mom's I talk to now that the time between 2 and 20 goes so quickly - and it's true. In a world that competes for our time and attention, how precious it is to carve out that time as a mom.
In our move to Victoria 5 years ago, I wondered how we as a family would get by living on two sides of the country. While it certainly has had its challenges, and we couldn't have done it without family and friends - one of the best by-products, in my opinion, is that we don't take time together for granted. We love the memories we have made here in the West, and we also look forward to times together in the East...and where we are matters so much less, than setting aside the time to be together.
I will be celebrating my "mother's day" next weekend as I join my cousin and her family and my kids at a family cottage on Sauble Beach in Ontario. This place has been in our family since the 1940's - our kids are the 4th generation growing up there. This is a place where relationships get watered - where fun is inevitable, and love shows up in full force. There, we will be catching up - getting to drink the 'water' we need to continue to grow individually and together, and for this I feel incredibly blessed!