There are so many things I love about this time of year—the smell of wet earth and flowering trees, the hum of bees and lawnmowers, the promise of warm weather and mountain hikes. I don’t however love the hurried pace that the month of May brings. I find myself wishing time away and surviving the moments rather than embracing them. This seems to be a recurring theme for me and one that I think God wants me to examine.

We lost my mother-in-law in late October to cancer and the past six months have been a blur. Our weekends have been consumed by walking through 50 plus years of history in the family home. I have often thought, “I can’t wait to finish this so I can have my life back.” Yet in the midst of these thoughts I sense the Holy Spirit whispering for me to reframe my thinking. As we have sifted through my in-laws’ belongings it is the everyday stuff of life that has brought us the most joy—a handwritten note scrawled on the back of an envelope, snapshots of family gatherings, a birthday card, and so many more seemingly insignificant things.

So I remind myself now in the middle of perhaps the craziest time of the school year to be present, to truly experience the moments rather than wishing for what is to come. My prayer is that you will do the same.