Community Voices for Health

By: Martianne Stanger

Christmas. Chanukah. Kwanzaa. No matter what holiday you celebrate this season, one thing seems to be on many folks’ minds: presents! Which gifts might we might give and which we might receive?

My thoughts are no different.  As I prepare for Christmas, I, too, think about presents.  However, I do not just think about the tangible ones.  I also think about the precious present and simply being present.

You see, when I sat down on my bed tonight to check emails and catch up on a few things online, my children, who had yet to fall asleep for the night, came to join me.  There, cozy, comfortable, and safe by my side, they drifted off to sleep.

So, now, here I sit “pinned” amidst a tangle of sleep-heavy limbs and chins. I admit, the position I am in is not the utmost in physical comfort, for my children’s bodies press into mine at some numbing angles.  Still, I am figuratively “comfortable.”  In fact, my soul sings with thanksgiving.

At this moment, I am so very gifted, not with things, but with a moment…  The warmth of my children’s bodies near mine, the song of their steady breath, the look of their sweet slumber smiles…  This moment is just one of the many precious ones I have experienced today, which, in turn, is one among many I am gifted with daily.

Sometimes, I overlook such gifts.  However, thankfully, at other times, I recognize them and savor them just as I am doing right now and just as I have done so any times before.

This moment is my very precious present.

What is yours?  What have you experienced today?  What are you immersed in right at this moment?  How is it precious?

This holiday season, might I suggest you pause and think about this idea:  What does you precious present look like and how might you best unwrap, enjoy, and share it?  Doing so costs nothing but time and thought, and, wow, does it bear fruits of gratitude and joy.

While you are at it, you might wish to get ahold of a book I have long found meaningful: The Precious Present.   It’s a story my father was introduced to years ago and, in turn, passed on to me.  One day, at just the “right moment”, I plan to gift copies of the it to my own children.  Perhaps you’d like to read it, too.

In a recent post that I wrote about on my family blog, I shared a bit more about the book.  Head on over and check that post out if you like.  Or, simply take away the thoughts the book has inspired that I share here.

This moment is a gift.  May you live your precious present well!