Sunday, November 15, 2009

Finding Presents in the Past

Keeping our focus on the here and the now is an excellent spiritual practice that improves our relationships with loved ones.  If we can be fully present with our children, our spouses, our friends... that is the greatest gift.  However, I find my thoughts drifting to my grandparents lately.  None of them are "with us" in the physical sense.  Can I still be with them in the present moment? 

I also think of how quickly time is passing, as we all cannot help but do at least occasionally.  We are all aging.  In the spirit of my former post on gratitude, I am feeling like I need to spend more time speaking with my parents and collecting their memories of their own parents. 

Whenever I look at old photographs of my grandparents and my Mom and Dad, I try to appreciate the unique qualities that they possessed at that moment in time.  For some reason, I particularly like to see photos of all of them at my current age.  As an inspiration for connecting with older family members, wherever they may be now, I am sharing some of these images below. 

Stay in the present moment, but never forget to love each day as you live it because life is beautiful and time IS fleeting.

My paternal grandparents, Geneva and Wayne Garrison:



My maternal grandfather, James Finley, pictured with my mother and his cousin in uniform (he is the handsome one on the right):


An even younger James Finley in the 1920's, posing with my grandmother Mildred and some very early American cars:




My parents at their wedding, with both sets of my grandparents:




And finally, my favorite picture of my mother, Donna, when she was my current age:




5 comments:

  1. Time is an illusion we created. We needed to set up some kind of a linear thing to judge by. Once again the Ego wins. I cannot judge the past generation..ever. It is they who raised me and they did what they created and desired. Your Mom and Pop are my age right? Boomers?

    Excellent post and ( just a stab here ) you are feeling a closeness to them...maybe a little bit of mortality just settled on your shoulder and stares at you in the mirror from time to time?

    ReplyDelete
  2. With two little ones that change every day, aging parents, and my own long term illness, of course I am aware of my mortality! And thankful for it! I appreciate the impermanence of the physical manifestation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How wonderful! I love this post, and the heart behind it...

    My grandmother recently went home to be with the Lord, I miss her so much, but, I know I will be with her much longer than I will be without her.

    This post makes me think of all the things she has imparted into my life, that I can continue to pass along and remember in the present :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sometime Michelle..if you so desire...would you let me know which blog deals with your physical dis-ease? My sister is the personal assistant to Louise Hay ( Louise has been helping people heal their bodies for many many years..including herself of cancer...look up her life ) and I may be able to steer you to a new direction if you are open to it. I will leave you a message on FB..peace

    ReplyDelete