Drinking in the moments

by Michele Boy | November 7, 2024

Monday was a perfectly cold, crisp, fall morning. Colorful leaves falling filled the street with bright yellows, oranges, and reds. Gentle rains fell and a breeze blew in. 
I loved it. It felt like a moment when all was right with the world. 
There is an 80% chance of snow today (as I write this Wednesday morning).  I keep singing It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Normally I am a big believer in waiting till after Thanksgiving but I am softening to the idea of putting the tree up early. 
  Regardless, the holiday season is upon us. I am excited for this time of year! 
  We are three weeks from Thanksgiving. So three weeks and one day till my husband will be okay with the tree going up. 
  I think of warm apple cider, pumpkin pie, and turkey.
  The Syracuse Journal will go out early that week. I know everyone likes a heads up so I am repeating that here. 
 It’s hoodie weather! It’s basketball season. And time to finish fall harvest and catch up on some things in my house that have fallen behind. 
  With just 7 1/2  weeks till 2025, I want to finish the year a little more caught up. 
Is that possible? 
  I am looking forward to basketball but some things are also bittersweet. As my daughter grows up, she will start participating in things like Sno Ball, a dance our school puts on. 
 We went dress shopping the other day and I was suddenly aware how she isn’t a little kid anymore. 
  It’s exciting, terrifying, pushes me out of my comfort zone, and is a beautiful journey all at once. 
 I am thrilled to be able to be a part of all of it and yet I also have to step back as she grows wings to start to one day leave the nest. 
  She asks me questions about five years from now, ten. I tell her often, I just want to enjoy today. 
  Remember wanting a Christmas/Hanukkah gift as a child? I wanted a particular album or I had a dream of a boom box, a walkman. 
 Today I don’t have the same dreams. Today, I want to drink in all the moments. 
  Today the gifts of health and time are the most treasured to me. 
  There are moments when I want to run away to a tropical island with my family and just hold onto that time. But the reality is she is changing and we are changing. 
   So as we begin November I hope you get some time to truly enjoy the moment in front of you. 
 Sometimes I have an extra ache but I am thrilled because it means I am alive. 
  As you walk through life can you find those precious pearls and treasures that  aren’t found in stores? 
 I truly hope your eyes are open to the beauty around you. 
  There will be times in life when things are dark and treasures are harder to find. I hope you can open your heart and ask God to show you some of them. 
  I know I have shared this before but once upon a time I saw nothing good. It was only when someone opened my eyes that there is always something to be grateful for. 
Sometimes we just have to practice it a little harder than others. 
  Today I am grateful to live in western Kansas with my family, to have my health, and some fun things to look forward to. What about you?