Keep it Real Wednesday
August 24, 2022
What have I learned (Part 7, Being Present)
Lessons from Rosemary
My Mom had her share of adversity in her life but none of those things defined who she was.
Rosemary was committed to the present, and she allowed the past to stay in the past.
In fact, she insisted on it.
As a 3 generational household, our children were gifted with the benefit of having an adult around the house all the time. Wade and I had our busy lives, fulltime jobs, volunteering for sports, school, and church activities and at times physically present in the home, but not readily available to our kids. I think many of you know what I mean.
Thankfully, Rosemary was always PRESENT and always AVAILABLE. We would jokingly call her “Dispatch Rosemary” because she knew where every member of our family was at all times, exactly we were doing and wanted an update as soon as we walked through the door.
She would listen to Nick play his guitar for hours while he practiced – engaging with every note, not distracted by anything else.
When Amanda would come home from school and bring her friends, the first place they would go was “Grandma’s room” to share whatever they were doing in their lives.
They both called Rosemary’s bedroom “The Safe Room” a place to go where they knew she would be PRESENT, where their feelings were acknowledged, and they could go just to breathe and be themselves.
In today’s fast-moving world where we are pulled in multiple directions at one time, being TRULY PRESENT is a gift.
Rosemary understood the true meaning behind the PRECIOUS PRESENT.
(Pictured top: Rosemary hemming Amanda’s homecoming dress while listening to Nick practice his guitar. Bottom: Houser family piling in for a chat on Rosemary’s bed)
