El Don de la Presencia - The Gift of Presence

El Don de la Presencia = The Gift of Presence

The Gift of presence in Spanish is: El Don de la Presencia

We first learn about the gift of presence
when in the family,
we allow the individual presence of each member
to be significant for the uniqueness
of the individual
but also as an important member
of the whole (the family)

The Gift of Presence: a new resolution

I have dozens of resolutions, also known as "lists" scattered about my life, and since they are ongoing, I don't put any more emphasis on creating a list at the start of a new school year. Yes, summer is ending and as we enter into fall, vacation from school is over (for most). And a new year for school-goers is starting.


Over the last few weeks, I have come to the decision that the most important thing I can do this school year is give myself a gift that also benefits my family, friends, health, intellect, spirit and work.


It is, simply, to be present.

For me, to be present means that I will give my children, my husband and people I meet everyday, focused attention. When it is prayer time, work, a social activity, or any other thing I am doing -- I will give that person, activity or task the same focused attention. Everything else must (and usually can) wait.


This is going to be a challenge for an extreme multitasking, type A-personality, but I've been practicing and see the colossal benefits already. God is so good.

• My children are happier.


• My marriage is stronger.


• My health is better (and I can actually sleep better at night without thinking about the many things on my "to do" lists!).


• My memory is sharper and therefore I can accomplish tasks better and more efficiently.


• My spirit is younger.


• My interior life is richer.
  

For most of my life I've prided myself on the ability to do a lot of things. Now, I will make a great effort to NOT do them all at once. Especially while my children are asking me for help with their homework, someone is calling for my assistance via phone, checking work e-mail, making dinner; trying to do all these at once make for a disaster in at least one of those tasks.

It means I will read and write with full attention to that task.

It means I will not over-schedule my days, nor will I make plans that pile one thing on top of each other. I will learn to let go and allow God’s will to be done…in my life (as it is in heaven…)

Doing this over the last few months has been good for me, but it comes with a price. Being present also means saying "no" more often, so I can say “yes” to things that truly are priorities in the life God has graced me with. I have missed seeing my mother every weekend as I used to because she lives far away. Instead of driving ‘forever’ to visit with her in person, I connect with her via phone everyday, and write long letters (which she prefers anyway because she gets to reread them as often as she likes). We have not even begun a major house-files reorganizing/spring cleaning project that is many years overdue. I haven't learned to update my new laptop computer nor have I connected with my own family members who live in other cities or countries even. And still, it is all okay. God knows what needs to be done by me, and what needs to be done by others, according to His plan.

The upside: laughing with my daughter as we try on the new scents at the fragrance counter in our ‘girls-only-window-shopping spree’, sitting with my husband at our outdoor garden furniture after a day of weeding the flower garden and watering the lawn enjoying a moment of quiet relaxation, having time to sit and talk with each other without the children interrupting. And finally, going out on a real date and enjoying the precious company of the one who reminds me of the reason for our being one in the first place: my loving spouse.

God continues to grace our lives with His goodness and providential presence…if only we allow Him to do the talking, and we listen with the heart.

On the need for solitude

Solitude is for presence.

In solitude, our own deepest center is found to be a holy place where God dwells.
There, He communes with us,
in love.

No need to fear solitude –
for in solitude we find completion,
and not loneliness or depletion.

Solitude makes us face the reality of our being and reason for our existence.
In solitude, we can truly begin to know who we are,
and find ourselves as God intends for us to be.

To many undefined souls,
solitude can be lonely, absurd or even deadly.
But with renewed Faith, Hope and Love,
we learn to have pity on our smallness,
and place our lives in God’s hands.

We must learn to cultivate the good within –
by taking moments for solitude
in order to be in communion with God.

Have you ever had trouble breathing?

As natural as the act of breathing is for us, there can be times when we may experience difficulty breathing when we lose ourselves in a particular moment. Whether the moment is good or the moment is not-so-good, our human bodies react to each of these moments in very different ways. Our breathing tends to be affected by our reaction to these moments…every time.

God has made us in such a way so as to keep us living, though we may tend to lose ourselves in many moments of our lives. When we’re excited, we may hold our breath briefly in disbelief. The moment is then quickly followed by a very deep exhaling (or we’d find ourselves literally ready to faint or perhaps even going into shock). Our body can only accept or tolerate what the disciplined mind and heart have trained it to endure. God's grace makes us this way.

I am reminded of a time in school when I became so preoccupied with a project I was diligently working on, that I unconsciously held my breath (I still do this many times) until I realized this was not a good thing to do (because a moment later I found myself literally gasping-for-air). Another time while learning how to swim, I remember gasping-for-air at the wrong time. I had started to sink underwater and had not held my breath in-time before going under. What happened next was not-so-good. In my reaction to the stressful situation, a young inexperienced mind panicked, and so... I nearly drowned.

Today, there are many times when I consciously remind myself to breathe. Invoking God’s aid, especially before entering into a moment of stress, as in entering into a difficult conversation or job, school or family situation, I make a conscious effort to breath-in the presence of the Lord. As I breathe-in air/oxygen where I also take-in God’s love, I am reminded of the goodness of God (after all I am alive, still…). When I exhale, I purposefully give-out the carbon monoxide and any sinful or noxious ways that are detrimental to my peace-filled state of being.

God does allow moments when we may experience some awesomeness that simply takes our breath away… These moments are good, if only we remember to keep our breathing steady in His Spirit, allowing the goodness-in while the not-so-goodness is let out of our lungs, and out of our lives. The Lord’s infinite mercy always takes care of the rest. If only we place our trust in Him, God calms our breathing, and the difficult moments soon pass us by, too.

Beauty to behold

If this is an actual picture that our human eyes can see
of a real flower that grows in a place near you and me,
how much more beautiful will a heavenly picture pose
that even our most vivid imagination could not begin to propose...


For it has been written that:
"Eye has not seen,
ear has not heard,
what God has ready for those who love Him..."