At just a few months short of 3 years, my granddaughter is fascinated by much in life that I have begun to take for granted.  She notices small insects as they travel to and from wherever they were going, notices the breeze as it talks to the trees and loves to feel the sand from the beach as she sifts it with her hands.  At the sound of a plane she immediately scans the sky to identify where it is headed and is also ever quick to find the moon, night or day.  I had forgotten how often the moon is visible during  the day having relegated it to only my night time viewings.  At this thought I wonder what other things I have missed by deeming the timing is not right.  

One evening last week as we were relaxing in our backyard at dusk, I had the precious opportunity of watching a young owl hunt among the trees as bats flew back and forth overhead with my not quite three-year-old granddaughter.   We watched transfixed for quite some time as the owl perched on a branch and then swooped down to the ground grasping a treat and retreating back to his perch high up in the tree.  A few times he left the tree and soared through the sky, wings spread wide, gliding on an unseen breeze and I wondered if he was just enjoying the view.   As this owl went about his evening activities my granddaughter was whispering excitedly to anyone who would listen, about what she was witnessing; continually pointing out the current location of the majestic bird, the numerous bats as they chittered overhead or how the location of the moon was gently changing. 

It is a memory I will hold dear for a long time and but for the pandemic, it is not one that I would have been granted.  You see, with the pandemic our families have faced some unexpected changes and challenges that found our adult son moving back home and his daughter becoming a part-time resident at our house as well.   After being empty nesters for over six years, sharing a house with others including a toddler who only knows the world as it revolves around her, has created a bit of chaos.  Sleeping and working patterns interrupted, eating schedules renegotiated, rooms adapted for different functionality are but a few of the changes we have navigated in the last few months.  

With these changes and adaptations, however, have come new opportunities.  An opportunity to get to know our son as a father and adult; to fully understand and recognize he is not the young boy of our memories. An opportunity to build a closer relationship with our granddaughter and to get to know her on a more intimate level.  An opportunity to be a child again by playing hopscotch, throwing our arms up in the air when we succeed at something, and spinning in circles on the lawn until we are dizzy and fall down.  An opportunity to just be silly because it feels good and to enjoy what the present moment brings, even if the timing is not what we expected.  It is an opportunity to make a lifetime of memories for these moments exist only once and our granddaughter is only a toddler in awe of the world for a short time.  

For this I am grateful.  Not grateful we are living through a pandemic, but grateful that there is always good with the bad.  Grateful there is always a silver lining in the blackest of clouds.  Grateful for opportunities and for the chance to view the world again in awe and wonder, delighting in the simplest of beings.  Grateful for the reminder to celebrate what is and not worry about what is not.  Grateful for the present moment because while timing may be everything, embracing and experiencing the present, including taking the time to look for the moon during the day, is the magic of living.  

Wishing you dear friend much celebration and wonder as you encounter the present moment and the magic of living on your heartfelt journey. ~♥~