Savor These Moments

Audio By Carbonatix

It’s surprisingly easy for our routines to turn monotonous. Of course, routines are good and helpful. But what I’m getting at here is that the things we do regularly can quickly lose significance. And that usually happens without us even noticing. If you have kids in school, you probably have a good idea of what your afternoon and evening are going to be like. You can imagine that you’ll have dinner and then it’s time for the kids to do homework, go to practice, or head out to work (and there will probably be some video games in there somewhere too).  

Especially during turbulent times, predictability can be very comforting. But what can also happen when things are predictable is that we start to take our loved ones for granted. Because when we do the same things every day, we can lose sight of just how much the people around us truly mean to us. If you don’t believe me, stop and think about some of the things you used to do early on in your relationship with your wife. You probably called or texted or passed notes an excessive amount. You did that because you wanted her to know you were thinking of her and pursuing her. And she did it for the same reason. But as life gets more and more predictable, those calls, texts, or notes start to be about picking something up from the grocery store or dropping one of the kids off at a certain time. If we’re not careful, our conversation can become focused only on information rather than connection. 

If you’re recognizing yourself in what I’ve written here, then I would encourage you to find a way to mix things up. Think back to some of the things you did together when you were dating or early on in your marriage. Maybe you really bonded over doing creative projects together. Or maybe you would pick out a complicated recipe and make a fancy meal together. Maybe you would drive two hours each way just to visit that special bookstore or antique shop or restaurant. Whatever that looked like in your relationships, take some time this week to intentionally create a special moment! 

But don’t just do that with your wife. Think about what it was like when you first brought your kids home from the hospital when they were born. You stood and watched them sleep. You celebrated every little sound and facial expression that they made. You were probably so excited when they took their first steps that you cried out and maybe scared them. But now that they’re older, there aren’t a lot of “firsts” left, and life has become much more focused on getting everything done when it needs to be done. 

Don’t let these moments pass by without making your kids feel special and appreciated. You love them more than you know how to communicate, so take some time to create some significant moments together. Maybe you create a “family movie night” (and you let them pick the movie!), or you do something similar that is focused on their interests. Doing something out of the ordinary to let them know you love and notice them will communicate much more than you might think. When you do something intentional to let your family know how much they mean to you, you’ll be winning more often at home.