I asked a friend for the title of a book that has meant a lot to her. I respect her and wanted to read something that means something to her. Her pick: Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman.

I finished it yesterday.

Great pick.

My thought this week is from this book. A character in the story, nicknamed Socrates, tells his apprentice, “There is a saying: ‘When you sit, sit; when you stand, stand; whatever you do, don’t wobble.’ Once you make your choice, do it with all your spirit.” Socrates then gives a metaphor that hits home with me: “Don’t be like the preacher who thought about praying while making love to his wife, and thought about making love to his wife while praying.”

That made me chuckle. Denise too.

The take-away? Live in the now. Live in the present.

Sunday is Father’s Day. The take-away fits. With your family, with your kids, live in the now.
I didn’t live that way with my boys.
We did a lot of things together, but I wasn’t totally there for those things.
For them.
I was there in body, but parts of my mind, my emotions, my attention were with the church – deacons or elders, staff, sermon preparation, a family in crisis. There was always something else.

I regret that.

What did I miss by not being “in the moment”?

So, today, I am intentionally living now. In the moment. Every moment. Not the next moment. Not the last moment. The present moment.

The days are long gone when our boys were living with Denise and me. But, I’m not living in regret of those missed yesterday moments. I will, though, do better in the present moments.

Happy Father’s Day!