Successions
by
Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. ~ Corita Kent
I read that quote yesterday in a shop. I do estate planning and probate work. In Louisiana, that probate work is called Successions. So when I see that word, “succession,” I think about death not life. And the juxtaposition of that one word struck a cord with me.
I daresay none of us live each moment of our lives to the fullest extent. How could we? But there is something to being in the moment, experiencing just the moment.
For example.
Yesterday morning, I was putting on my shoes with Sun watching me. I couldn’t find my other shoe and asked Sun if she saw it. She walked behind me, bent over, picked up the matching shoe and brought it to me. I thanked her. It was a quiet moment of little consequence. But it stopped me in my tracks. Here we were, my daughter and I, having a conversation in which we both contributed and we both understood the other. It was stunning in its simplicity.
Last night, for the second time in 30 minutes, I asked Sun if she was ready to go to her room to read. She nodded, took my hand and we walked to her room. I grabbed her favorite books and read them to her, returning again and again to her favorite parts. Then I inhaled her scent and was captured under a spell. I stopped reading and just looked at the picture of us sitting on the chair in the warm glow of her lamp. And I leaned down, kissed the top of her head and thanked her. I thanked her for bringing me such joy. I didn’t know my heart was capable of the love it has for Sun.
This won’t be every day. But it was yesterday. And by my measure, it was a success.
The seemingly small moments are often the most meaningful.
Thanks for sharing, this was lovely!
Appreciating the small moments seems to keep life in perspective–balance.
This was great!
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She’s certainly getting very smart. You’ll be having more conversations with her than you ever thought possible very, very soon.
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My favorite time at night is rocking my girls, their heads on my chest, and breathing in their scent. All is right with the world in those few moments. Thanks for the reminder in the middle of the day that it’s the small moments that count!
Ah, you did it again: moved me to tears. You captured that tiny, telling moment so beautifully. It made me long for the toddler days of my own now-27-year-old daughter…I regret not having appreciated such incidents more when they happened. Savor every moment.
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