Perfect moments in time!

Each of us lives life one day at a time, but too often we don't truly realize we have perfect moments within a day. A perfect moment means we must "live" in the moment instead of allowing our minds to wander into thoughts that reflect our hopes, frustrations, guilt, and even worry.

The Lord has asked us to "become perfect," even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. It may seem like an impossible assignment until we realize we can break the task down into smaller components. When teaching or training children with neurological impairments, we call the process "task management breakdown."

Instead of struggling to find the measurement of perfection of ourselves within our lives, we can try to find moments where God has made life perfect for us! We can "know" the gift is just for us and we recognize it, give praise for it and joy in it?

After exercising these perfect moments frequently in my life, I know relishing them evidences to God that I am one with Him. It offers me such joy and I believe it gives my Father in Heaven joy as well.

Perfect swim moments 

Several times each summer (or in tropical locations in winter) I've found perfect swim moments.

I am blessed to be able to become "one" with a natural water environment (lake, river, ocean). My body enjoys innate boyancy, and accordingly I don't have to struggle to stay afloat. That means I am given the chance to caress the water and be caressed by the water with every portion of my body- arms, legs, hands, feet, back, neck, even my scalp. I can relax to feel it's influence to lift or hold me or to pleasure me.

Each water experience is unique. The movement of the water diversifies my experience.

Waves can bring excitement and play.

Quickly moving streams allow for giving control to the elements- a tendency that often provokes fear in others.

Still, quiet water calls out for a ballet experience of leg lifts, rolls, circles, then my stillness as the water continues to move after I've ceased motion.

My perfect water moments have taken place in tropical locations, in glacier lakes, in fishing streams, but only rarely in quiet swimming pools. I've found joy in water 6 weeks before delivering a baby or by slipping out of a kayak with my clothes on because I couldn't be separated from the wocean waves for another moment. One afternoon, I even had to take a water break from a family picnic to climb into a mountain lake in full blue jean and t-shirt attire. Despite the wet ride home afterward, the water renewed me at the end of a long parenting day.

I have a photo of one of my perfect moments. I've been preserved forever hugging my legs (knees up to my chest), sitting on a Maui beach, facing ocean waves, feeling the entire combination of power of wind and water, sight and sound - alone... alone with my Father in Heaven. I recall thanking Him for that perfect moment. While it lasted more than a moment, it may have been that I was blessed to feel the perfect sequence of time for five or ten minutes - until the photographer called out to me and distracted me from the event. But it was enough. Having the photo to remind me makes me live that moment over and over again.

God's creations and his water environment have given me many, many perfect moments.

If you haven't had a perfect moment recently, ask the Creator to help you to silence your life, your body and your mind sufficiently to invite Him to lead you into His perfection. It may become a pathway for you, as it has been for me to understanding that becoming perfect, to be like Him, can begin for you with treasuring the same things he treasures - his creations.

Perfect moments will change your life.
Each will lead you to the "feeling" of perfection!

Each will introduce the longing for more perfection and the desire to return to His perfect association.

More lessons from grandchildren!

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that "dependent" children are special and have a unique and blessed status with our Father in Heaven. I'd not want to speak for the Church officially, but some of us believe these special children/adults have already evidenced their commitment to God and Christ, before coming to mortality and they join us here to have an influence in our lives and to help us learn more about our Father in Heaven.

After more than 35 years of being in association with "special needs" children, I think it is important to share incredible moments of joy that they bring into my life. I am a mother to a 38 year-old dependent adult son, Nathan. He's taught me lessons I may share here another day but for today I'd like to share a lesson taught by a disable grandson.

Amid my history of Gramma Dates with grandchildren, one with my grandson, Gabriel stands out for how he gave me more on the date than I believed the time and cost of the date were to bring to him.

Gabriel spent a season of his young life fascinated and pre-occupied with dinosaurs. I'd created a collection of plastic dinosaurs for his playtime in my home and I'd gifted him dinosaur books and such, and even enjoyed watching dinosaur movies with him.

Gabriel doesn't know it, but before he was born I'd spent more than a year writing a children's book, Land of the Sleeping Dinosaurs. It had been published, was well received in various places and had added to my opportunity to share my adult pre-occupation with the world around me.

Back to my story...

I discovered, by accident that a marvelous family entertainment event was taking place in a nearby city - Walk with the Dinosaurs, and after budgeting carefully I purchased two tickets for the event. I was so excited as I planned and then took action to give Gabriel the ultimate dinosaur experience.

A few images will give you an idea of the excitement Gabriel and I both shared as the dinosaur spectacle unfolded before us. He'd asked me about how the dinosaurs moved around in the arena set. I explained about the motors inside some of the larger dinosaurs that allowed people inside to drive the huge creatures and I pointed out the legs of actual staff in the smaller dinosaurs (see image 1) that allowed them to move about the set to entertain us.

He told me all about dinosaurs as we waited for the performance, and we chatted again during intermission and that's when Gabriel gave me the most wonderful treasure.

"Gramma, this is so good. Gramma, can we come again and bring Andrew? Andrew would like to see all the dinosaurs."

"Gabriel, Gramma only had the money to bring one of you to see the dinosaurs, but Mommy told me that Andrew was going to see the Monster Trucks with Dad. Andrew will have such a good time, just like you are having a good time."

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly his words filled the air around us and filled my heart with lasting joy...

"Gramma, when I grow up, I could be a dinosaur - couldn't I Gramma!"

I knew, truly knew that Gabriel, despite his limitations could have his every dream in life fulfilled, if all his family were always aware of possibilities and sought for opportunities.

I knew other families had done so, and had done so successfully!

I'd seen the Famous People Players on television as a young mother, raising my own disabled son. Now suddenly, for the first time I was in awe of the opportunities and capacities of "special" children to find joy in their own lives and to bring joy to the lives of others.

Gabriel's dreams for his adulthood will probably change, but because he has an Uncle Mark who is a recognized stage, movie and televison actor, Gabriel may lean in that direction one day. Whether or not he does, he brought more joy to me in that simple announcement, "Gramma, I could be a dinosaur!" than I had imagined possible.

We all have to have such vision and such faith in our ultimate potential and find opportunities to make our dreams come true.

Introduction

Welcome to my world!

My title for this blog " I want you to know," is an indication of why I'm taking this technological opportunity to share a few words with the world.

I've determined it is important to state that "I want you to know" a few things I believe are important. Some of what I've learned may change your life - if you offer yourself the chance. Many of the little things I've learned have changed my life, entirely.

For years I've imagined I'd write a book and share some of my valuable life's lessons, but I've decided, that just in case that opportunity is not presented to me, because of other obligations and responsibilities, I should share bits of pieces of what I'd have put into a book. AND SO, here we go.

First Things First!

I want you to know that I'm grateful for my life, life's lessons, family, friends and associates and while religion may not be important to you, it is to me. I'm grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and for how it is framed within my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I want you to know that I see mortality as an opportunity to evidence my commitment to truth and knowledge, and my awarenss of truth has come from the gospel and from life's learning and experiences. My knowledge is diverse and I continue to learn each and every day. I learn from those with whom I associate, from the scriptures, from family and often from children - even very young children...

FIRST OF MANY LESSONS 

I want you to know that young children share amazing gifts with adults! 

When my granddaughter Anna was about 3 years of age, she and I were walking across a paved parking lot toward entry to a department store. It had been raining, but the sun had just come out. I held her hand to keep her safely close by me, and as she chatted about what she was seeing around her (on our Gramma Date), she said,

 "Look Gramma (as she pointed to the pavement a few feet ahead of us)."

"Anna, I'm not sure what you're trying to show me?"

"Gramma, look where the sun kissed the ground!"

I continued to try and see through her young eyes and with great awareness and insight, she could tell I wasn't able to discover her field of vision and in patience she took me closer to the place the "sun had kissed the ground." She pointed...

There, on the pavement, in a small pool of rain water, was shimmering color, floating and dancing in the breezes of the afternoon. The water had pooled over a spot of pavement impacted by what must have been an oil leak from a previously parked vehicle.

Anna had found the perfect and most positive phrase possible for her visual discovery. The pool of rain water was reflecting sunlight and the result of oil mingled with the water was a shimmering rainbow of colors. Anna knew the sun's impact in the sky after showers and rain storms- the rainbow. She'd beautifully adapated the concept to a new experience.

Now, each and every time I walk over a post rain storm parking lot, I search for the places the "sun has kissed the ground," and remind myself how perfect a child's perspective and wisdom can be.

Thank you Anna.