Live in the moment with God

By Mary Regina Morrell
©Catholic Online 2005

"...I had always assumed a better future, which implies that there is something wrong with now. To realize that right now is great has been tremendously freeing. It has led to gratitude and a surge of energy and strength." Steve Strauss

In the morning fog, as early fisherman cast their lines into the rolling surf, I caught a glimpse a large dog, probably a Golden Retriever, digging furiously in the sand near his owner.

I stopped to watch as the digging went on, accompanied by furious tail-wagging.

At first I thought he might be looking for something, or perhaps burying something, but as time went on I realized he was simply digging for the sake of digging.

His doggie delight was apparent and I could imagine, in an anthropomorphic kind of way, him humming a little ditty to himself, "I'm digging! I'm digging! Life is good! I'm digging!

Every once in a while he would stop for a second and look down the miles-long expanse of beach before him. I imagined his audible sigh of delight at the unlimited opportunity that lay ahead, and then in an instant he would return with fervor to the task before him.

This was total immersion in the experience. This was living in the moment. This was something I have too often failed to do.

When I stop to reflect on it, I have to acknowledge that my thoughts are often preoccupied with the past - things already over and done with, words already spoken, mistakes already made. But then again, I often invest many thoughts on the future - when finances will get better or plans for repairing the house or things that might go wrong or situations that I just want to see improve.

These thoughts often distract me from my work or keep me awake at night. They are not productive but, rather, drain me of energy. It requires concentrated effort on my part to dismiss them from my mind and enter fully into the experience in which I find myself at any particular moment.

Still, I have noticed, there are some special times when, without effort, I find myself totally immersed in the joy of the present of moment. These are times when time seems to move by at lightening speed but I am unaware of its passing. It may happen when I am creating something - a meal or a manuscript -- or when I am walking along the beach or in the woods, or spending time with my family.

But most often I find these are times when I am gathered around a table with friends sharing food and drink and real presence.

These are times of gratitude because they contain the blessing of God's abundant love and generosity.

One of the most remarkable things about Jesus was his ability to live fully in the present moment. As I have grown in age and experience I have come to believe that much of his ability was due to the fact that he kept his friends, no matter how imperfect, gathered around him. It was these men and women of devotion and courage who helped Jesus carry the burden of his mission, making his days lighter with the laughter and embrace of friendship.

And there is no doubt in my mind that if any of those friends were graced with the ability to live in the moment, even if those times were few and far between, then Jesus was the reason.

Invite Him into your moments - and live.

____________________

Mary is the author of Angels in High Top Sneakers from Loyola Press, a syndicated Catholic columnist and mother of six sons.

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Educationp, 732 562.1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

live, moment, God, love

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