Linger in the Moment

These past few weeks have been absolutely amazing. I’ve celebrated birthdays, engagements and every day occasions with just about each and every member of my family and extended family. This past weekend my family and I reconnected beside the campfire. I spent hours introducing my brilliant nephew to a whole new set of experiences and spent quality time doing whatever my adorable little niece desired.

During the week my husband and I don’t tend to spend a lot of time together, but for the last few weekends we’ve spent nearly every minute with one another and I’ve treasured every second we’ve shared. We’ve been together to witness the craziness of our family members and to smile and laugh at the life we’ve created together with the people we love.

My life is so blessed and rich that I sometimes fear I’ll wake up and find that it’s all been a dream. Sometimes I try to sit real still, to abstract myself from the moment, in an effort to create a mental image, a photo that I can store in my memory forever.

This past weekend as my family and I sat beside the campfire I took mental snapshot after snapshot of my brother laughing, my niece and nephew roasting marshmallows and my parents relaxing.

As night fell I took an extra moment to look over at my husband in the dim light of the room. We climbed into a bed that initially looked a little too small for the two of us to share. Rather than thinking it’s too small, we’ll never fit, I’ll be uncomfortable, I began to think, it’s the perfect size for us. After all, the tight quarters left us with little room to spare and so we had no choice but to laugh and cuddle together.

As I turned off the light I took a deep breath and captured that image of my husband and I. I took note of the room, the window above us and the feeling of the unfamiliar sheets and blankets on that very small bed. I let my lungs fill with happiness. I held my breath and recounted the moments I spent that day with the people I loved. I wish I could have captured that moment and stored it in my pocket, so I could bring it back out whenever I feel sad or blue. I wish I could have lingered in that moment for just an extra second or two.