Enjoy the moments....

With school starting my thoughts go back to how quickly this summer has passed and also how quickly time in general passes us by. I suppose Dr. Dobson was having these same thoughts because his newsletter for the month addressed just that thought. I have just read it from front to back, (something I do not always do but did this time) and found a few things I thought were very timely and appropriate for those of you young mothers that read my blog.
So, if you will indulge me, I would like to quote Dr. James Dobson...a man who has had an enormous impact on my life through his videos and books. He writes:

"Addressing myself now to mothers and fathers of young children. I urge you to keep this eternal perspective in view as you race through the days of your lives. Don't permit yourself to become discouraged with the responsibilities of parenting. Yes, it is an exhausting and difficult assignment, and there are times when you will feel like throwing in the towel. But I beg you to stay the course! Get on your knees before the Lord and ask for His strength and wisdom. Finish the job to which He has called you! There is no more important task in living, and you will understand that assignment more clearly when you stand where Shirley and I are today. In the blink of an eye, you will be hugging your children good-bye and returning home to an empty house. That is the way the system works."

And then this was a prayer Dr. Dobson's father prayed for their family after they had been together for a short visit:


"And Lord, we want to thank You for the fellowship and love that we feel for each other today. This has been such a special time for us with Jim and Shirley and their children. But, Heavenly Father, we are keenly aware that the joy that is ours today is a temporal pleasure. Our lives will not always be this stable and secure. Change is inevitable, and it will come to us, too. We will accept it when it comes, of course, but we give You praise for the happiness and warmth that has been ours these past few days. We have had more than our share of good things, and we thank You for Your love. Amen."


Dr. Dobson writes that shortly thereafter they hugged and said good-bye then boarded the plane for home. A week later, his father suddenly grabbed his chest and told his mother to call the paramedics. He died on December 4th of that year. His mother has also gone to be with the Lord now. His last statement in this section of his newsletter grabs me. He said, "How quickly it all unraveled."


I guess that is what has also grabbed my heart today...how quickly our lives can unravel...one minute everything is fun and you are enjoying wonderful times together. Then in a blink of an eye or in the space of a heart beat...all that can change. We should all be living with Dr. Dobson's father's philosophy in mind..."Thanking God for what we have...which we cannot keep." As Dr. Dobson says, "We all need to capture that concept."


So, my charge to you who read this is...Enjoy the moments, for too soon they are gone!