Living in the Moment

Photo by Gary Coots ©2011

My company closed shop yesterday and went to Prayer Mountain. When I mentioned this to my life group, one of the members asked, "is it really on a mountain?" Thinking back to standing atop that hill, I realized that it's the closest thing we have to a mountain in north central Texas. The weather was even Colorado-like until late afternoon, when the breath of summer heat arrived. One of my favorite moments was when I stopped to watch a huge yellow butterfly dancing among the low-hanging tree branches. The terrain was dotted with solitary prayers in various attitudes, facing the stunning view of Mountain Creek Lake. (I often think of my coworkers as "people I love.") There they were, speaking to God from their hearts, savoring the time alone with Him. I was living in the moment.

My mind goes back to another experience I had earlier in the week. My friends and I lead some nursing home residents in a round of hymns each Monday morning. There I learned that no one lives in the moment quite like an elderly disabled (and often demented) person. Going from bed to wheelchair, at the mercy of whoever is around to help, she lives each moment as it comes. As we were leaving, I reached to touch a wheelchair-bound woman's hand. She grasped my hand, held it to her face, and said, "You're so warm!" Her hands and face were very cool. As we lingered, I realized that for her, only that moment mattered, and it was a good moment.