Top 3 best days of my life:
My wedding
Henry’s Birthday
Yesterday
Yes, a random Sunday in December makes the list. In the wake of Friday’s school shooting, we, like so many Americans, took ‘off’ yesterday to focus on family. I am not sure that I have ever been so painfully aware of the fragility of life and so cognizant of how quickly everything that I love can disappear. It is sad to me that I need to be reminded to be so utterly grateful, but I guess that is humanity’s great battle, isn’t it? To not get sucked into silly every day battles and stay focused on the present and the big picture?
The reality is that we can only live our lives in the present moment. When we focus on what has happened or what may happen, we’re missing out on the now. We’re missing out on what’s right in front of us. And what’s right there is often pretty amazing – if you just look for the joy.
Yesterday, we spent half an hour chasing Henry up and down this hallway. He crawled back and forth, and handheld step by tiny step, we practiced walking. He traveled from parent to parent, laughing and marveling at his newly-discovered ability to move.
And in those moments, nothing else mattered at all.
My goal is to always remember those thirty minutes. Truly, on my death bed, I hope yesterday is the last thing that I think about. I want so badly to stay in the moment whenever I can. To never again need a tragedy to remind me to be grateful. To be present. To love my family, my friends, and myself in the deepest, truest way that I can…. in the now. This is my life. And really, it’s all I’ve got.
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{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful.
Beautifully said.
It’s really the little things. All of them.
Also: your house is BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you <3 Yay, suburbia.
In this sad, sad time of grief, it’s so true – to remember what and who is important, to stay in the moment, and to treasure our lives as much as possible, if only for a bit of time each day.
Thank you.
Beautifully, poignantly said.
Amen…
The shooting affected me on so many levels. Besides having the overwhelming, obvious human reaction (horror) and the acutely painful reaction as a teacher (more horror, disbelief), I felt it on a more personal level, too: my best friend lives in Newtown, and her mom taught at Sandy Hook Elementary for 14 years (she just transferred out this September). I really sunk into the grief hole this weekend, and it was hard to pull myself out. But I had a moment like you had where I realized that, in spite of having NO CONTROL over what happens to me or my loved ones (on so many scary levels), I do have control over the time I have with them. I hope I never, ever need another reminder of that for the rest of my life.
Amazing post, thanks for this.
This is a beautiful thought, and something I hope we all hold on to as we move on from this terrible tragedy.
Simply beautiful. We too took time off this weekend to focus on our family. We only get one chance, make it count.
This is beautiful, thank you.
Very beautifully said Caitlin…
Not to take away from your heartfelt message (which it was, simple and sweet), but I LOVE the shape of your doorways.
Like everyone else said. Absolutely beautiful.
I agree with all other comments- absolutely beautiful!
Lovely and so true.
agree agree agree. i decided to look for all the good in the world this weekend. there is so much
Really amazing post today.
This is beautiful. Thank you.
This is absolutely lovely.
Agree. Agree. Agree. Peace & Love.
I love your blog, but I hardly ever comment. I just have to say that this is truly beautiful. You are a wonderful role model for women.
that’s really cool. Getting the little man walking and mobile is just as cool as gaining the appreciation for those moments. Good call.
Beautiful post. I think it’s so important for us to stop and reflect all the amazing things that we have in our lives right now, that may seem small but are really what make life worthwhile.
Exactly what I needed to hear. Today I am saying goodbye to my cat of 17 years and remembering my dad on what would have been his 49th birthday. Funny how the universe works.
Such a beautiful post. I grew up in Newtown CT, and still live in the area. I am beyond sad. Thank you so much, your words were just what I needed to hear.
This is so touching. What a beautiful post.
So beautiful. We too took time to just be together. I think I have said I love you to my babies 1o times every hour. Thank you for sharing!
That sounds just perfect. If only every day could be spent just living in the moment.
Beautiful post. I truly hope you can remember every second of yesterday too. It can be so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life and forget to live in the moment. It is always good to step back and enjoy what we have.
I would love to see some pics of Henry crawling that l-o-n-g hallway and trying to walk with Mom and Dad! You know what they say, once they start crawling—look out!
yes. yes. yes.
Thank you so much for this. I actually had a very similar day yesterday in the sense that I told my husband today it was one of the best days because we too laughed and enjoyed those little moments together. Thank you for reminding me to savor those moments because life is so incredibly precious
I am so choked up I can barely type through the tears welling up in my eyes.
…taking a moment to gather composure…
yesterday as I was out on a reeeeeaalllly long 18 mile run in the freezing rain I was contemplating a blog post (I started a running blog to track my training for the Boston marathon). I basically was thinking along the lines of what you already eloquently stated – live in the moment; appreciate the “present” of THE present because you never know when it can be taken away. So even though the freezing rain was pelting away at my face for 3.5 hours I felt SO very lucky to be out there doing one of the things that I love.
xo
This is beautiful. In the middle of all of the heart break and sorrow it is so important to remember how blessed we truly are.
Well said
Thanks for the reminder 
love this. how wonderful. thank you
I needed to hear this today. Such beautiful words….thank you!
Such a good reminder. It’s truly the little things in life that matter the most. Thanks for the inspiration!
Well said. I wrote something similar yesterday called “Living in Reality.” It’s so easy to get caught in the “I’ll be happy when” track when really all we have is the here and now.
Life’s meaning is in its moments
I needed this in a bad way!! Thank u so much
Such beautiful words, thank you for reminding me to savor the moments I have with my family and friends and be in the present. That visual of Henry really hits home, what a wonderful message!
Beautifully written! At least there is some good that can come out of such a horrific tragedy.
So true.
Great words. Beauty rests in the simplest of things and the seemingly ordinary activities of our day.
No words but I can tell you that to hear you focus on gratitude makes me so happy for you.
You are Beautiful.
I needed this today. Thank you for your beautiful words <3
Amen!
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