Everybody misses. I miss all the time. I miss when I used to write on this blog on a regular basis. Well a more regular basis anyway ha. I miss my family when I am at school and I miss school when I am with my family. I miss going to the lake every summer in NY. I miss when I spent a whole semester hanging with the crew. I miss the times when my two best friends and I would have sleepovers every weekend and we couldn't go anywhere without each other. I miss people. I miss the close relationships that build over the years, but sometimes grow a part. I miss last fourth of July. I also miss the time when people weren't always on electronics. I miss the days when I could hold my baby sister and when my dog was a puppy. I miss my tan skin that doesn't require makeup. I miss playing pretend as a kid, and my adventures as an adult. I miss feeling giddy over a crush. And I miss a person I met on a plane. Sometimes I just miss particular weekends. Like I miss spontaneously going to D.C. with a good old pal ;) And I miss going river rafting in Boise with some crazy, fun people. Or sometimes, I miss particular minutes. Like the minutes I danced with one of my favorite people on the planet and I felt like I was on Dancing with the Stars--mostly because he sparkles and is out of this world. Other times, I miss seconds. The seconds that sentimental words are exchanged between loved ones gone.
Occasionally, I even miss the future. For instance, as crazy as it sounds, I was at a 70th birthday party the other day and all of a sudden, I couldn't wait to be 70. I was just so excited to have all my kids and grandkids around me where I felt their love and appreciation. Even though that may be considered more of a longing, there are other things in the future I'll miss. Like I know I will miss my mission after I come home. I know I will miss college when it is over and I will miss my kids when they are grown.
But if I truly, full-heartedly missed all of these things, then in reality it seems that there is only one thing I am always missing; I am missing the mark.
It is easy to miss the mark and it happens to us all. So often I believe we "miss" what is important. We miss the moments that we are creating right now.
When I sit next to this beautiful boy and talk to him into all hours of the night. I don't miss him in that moment. Because he is right there in front of me. When my sister copies me while I am trying to be serious; I don't appreciate it in that moment. When I see rainbow in the sky, I don't miss it, rather I enjoy it.
But once those moments are gone, we tend to miss them. Did I ever think I would miss my sisters copying me? Probably not, but when I don't see them for months on end. I do miss it. Mostly, I just miss being with them and the bond of our sisterhood growing. If we step back, we may find that we are in a moment now, which we may miss one day.
It's hard to see when you are in that moment. But look at this. Right now, you are reading this blog. Maybe one day, you will be in a place that doesn't have computers or wifi and you will miss reading blogs. Did you ever think you would miss reading my blog? Probably not. And likely you never will ;) But since we live in such a changing world, you never know the things you will miss.
As I read all of the things I listed above as things that I miss, I see that I am constantly in a moment, which I could grow to love more than I do in the very moment the memory was made. That's kind of what missing is--it's appreciating things more as time goes on. In that perspective, it is okay to miss things. But when it clouds our vision of the present then "missing" can be to our disadvantage. Living a life of missing, isn't really living a life.
Instead of "missing", we can look forward with hope and brightness, and we can look back with a grateful heart, but choose to live in the present.
Appreciate the things that are in front of you right now and you will find that you are full of happiness and gratitude. That is living.
Yesterday, I got called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Brazil Porto Alegre Mission and I am so beyond thrilled. I know I will miss my family and friends when I am there, but upon my return, I know I will miss the people of Brazil. So I won't say that I am not going to miss, but I will say that I will try my hardest to appreciate the beautiful moments that make up my life. I will look forward with faith and hope and live life to the fullest in every moment I am blessed to have another breath.
Live. Laugh. Love.
