Taking Time

There are people, experiences, and places in our lives that we sometimes take for granted. Sadly, we only tend to take a second glance at these when the people are gone, after the event has taken place, or when change has already occurred. And, we tend to attribute our oversight to the overloaded schedules we quickly book up, the children we must nurture and raise, or our exhausting jobs which require our attention.  

Recently, I have been doing some thinking. Well, lets be honest...I've been doing A LOT of thinking. And, primarily all my thoughts come back to this one idea. I want to live my life not taking things for granted. And, I want to teach my girls that too. I want them to value the time they have on this earth,  to respect each person they encounter,  to learn from every experience whether good or bad, and to take time. 

Time to smell the roses. Time to look up at the clouds and use their imaginations. Time to wade in the coolness of the ocean water with sand squished between their toes. Time to watch the sun set beneath the horizon as the moon and stars magically appear above. Time to grow, learn, and make memories. 

Because, you see, its time that we take for granted the most. And, no matter what, we never seem to have enough of it. The last year or so have proven this for me. Between the normal everyday happenings in my life, I have experienced loss. The loss of two grandparents, as well as my unborn child (more to be explained in a different post). And, this loss has left some empty holes, which continue to be filled each day because I strive to take time, and to not take the things close to my heart for granted.

Like Thursday evening strolls on the shore of Huntington Beach with the hubster and our girls! 

Like little bare feet bouncing as I wear them on my chest!

Like the beauty of the California coastline on a cool summer night!

Like family time spent building sandcastles, posing for pictures, spinning around until dizziness sets in, crawling independently through the sand, and splashing with delight. 

Like beautiful faces full of joy, smiling, experiencing, and living life. 

Like tender moments in the setting sun holding our sweet girls. 

There is no doubt in my mind that the short time we spent at the beach, as a family, on Thursday night will forever be cemented in my heart. The squeals of delight from the girls, along with their ear to ear smiles were priceless. And, the warmth of their innocent hands in mine as we strolled along the beach together is a memory that will last a lifetime. 

As time passes, which it seems to do too quickly around here, I am sure things will be taken for granted. However, its important to me to have those moments be few and far between. Because, after all, time is something we all do not have enough of, but something we all need to take a little bit of.