Slow Down - You're moving too fast

Don't know why (ok, ok - I do), but lately I feel like I've been getting messages everywhere that say SLOW DOWN! Here's the evidence:

1. I LOVED conference. No - there were no major "the church is moving to Missouri" or "We're reinstating the law of consecration" - but every talk was wonderful and powerful. I really loved the talk by President Monson about enjoying the journey. Sometimes it takes ALL my will to concentrate 100% on the moment. It seems my mind is 2, 3, 4 steps ahead of that moment - OK - I need to clean off Ireland & get her out of the high chair, then I need to help McKinley get down and help her put her plate in the dishwasher. After that I need to clean off the countertops... - and on and on it goes. His talk helped me again realize that I need to STOP and cherish, enjoy, treasure every moment.

2. I have many fond memories growing up of my mom playing the guitar - especially around the campfire. One of my favorite songs was "Feeling Groovy." It wasn't till MUCH later in life that I realized that it was Simon & Garfunkel who sang that song. It will play in my head at random times, reminding me again to enjoy life instead of getting caught up in the little things:

Slow down, you move too fast.

You got to make the morning last.

Just kicking down the cobble stones.

Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.

Ba da, Ba da, Ba da, Ba da...Feelin' Groovy.

Hello lamp-post,What cha knowin'?

I've come to watch your flowers growin'.

Ain't cha got no rhymes for me?

Doot-in' doo-doo,Feelin' groovy.

I've got no deeds to do,

No promises to keep.

I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.

Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.

Life, I love you, All is groovy.

3. There's that country song - If I could write a letter to me and send it back in time to myself when I was seventeen... I have thought about what I would tell myself back in high school. But then, I realized that there's not much good in that. What I REALLY need to do is look 10 or 20 years in the future and think about what I might learn in that time and what I would want to tell myself looking back to this moment in time. I'm PRETTY SURE that I would tell myself to slow down. To enjoy the breath-taking smiles that my 1-year-old flashes to me. To treasure the times my 3-year-old wants to cuddle with me and let me hug and kiss her. To cherish the silly quesions, the "help me!"s, and even the never-ending laundry and dirty floors. Because, like President Monson said - one day they will be gone. And I WILL miss them.

4. I was re-reading a birthday letter I had written to one of the girls. I tell her in the letter - as I tell her regularly - to not grow up so fast. And yet, as I read that, it hit me that she should really be telling me "Mom - look. I am going to grow up too fast. There's no changing it. No getting around it. It's YOU that needs to slow down and enjoy this time in my life.I can't slow down, but you can."

5. That other country song "You're gonna miss this" - pretty much sums it up.

And, so now that I've gotten the message, I have to find a way to incorporate it. To find more time to be with my kids and my spouse and less time doing all the other stuff that I could do. Living in the moment is so easy to say. Why is it SO HARD for me to do? No amount of blogging, journaling, picture taking, slideshows, etc can replace the actual HUG I can get from them TODAY.