Do You Really Appreciate This?

Have you ever noticed that in the moment it's sometimes hard to appreciate things as much as you should? You may recognize that something great is happening at any certain time but then you get caught up and forget to appreciate it. We all do it, and I think the most appropriate term is "taking things for granted" which is truthfully hard not to do.

I've been in a reflective/sad mood all day because of some new developments with my niece. We all love her so much, but even small things are getting harder for her all the time. We don't know how long we get to keep our precious angel, and it's hard when that reality hits you, which is what happened to me today. It's so scary to think about.

Tonight I was going to the Salt Lake Temple, which is of course in downtown. I decided it would be a waste of time to come all the way back to my house to sit for a few minutes and then go back down to join my ward so I stayed downtown. I was hoping to squeeze in a workout, but time was not quite long enough to do that, darn it!

I decided to just go sit in the JSMB and think for a little while. But when you're in the mood I was in today, thinking is often your enemy. I started looking at all the moms with their kids running around the building. I couldn't help wondering if these parents really appreciate how precious their children are, even when they're so frustrating you feel you're in danger of going mad. One mom came over and was briefly sitting in the pod of chairs where I was sitting. She had a little boy in a stroller and two energetic little girls running around. I could tell just from watching them for a few minutes that they were a handful, one more so than the other one. I could tell this mom was getting impatient that her little girl wouldn't be obedient.

I know that I'm not a parent so I can't fully understand what it's like. And I have a couple of my own nieces and nephews that are difficult enough children that I can see that parenting is often no picnic. But tonight I just couldn't help hoping that even if this mother was super frustrated with her little girl, that she could still appreciate her. You just never know when something's going to happen, so you have to make every minute count, even the hard ones.

Sorry about the philosophizing; I'm sure it's not all that fun to read. But it's helping me feel better and that's what's most important anyway. :)