Monday, November 23, 2009

Just a moment ...

Posted by Terry McNichols

Recently I came across a great article in the Oprah Magazine.  In this article, actress Julianna Margulies tells of a rough time in her life when she remembered advice given to her by her mother.  Her mother had told her many times "This is just a moment; it's not the rest of your life."

I recalled this advice while visiting my daughter, her husband and their two small boys.  Samuel, the baby, had a terrible cold, keeping us all awake during the night, her husband had just lost a paper that he then had to rewrite and was feeling very discouraged, and on top of that, she had house guests (us!)  I do realize that right in the middle of crisis times is not the best time to give advice, as a "This too shall pass," or "They grow up so quickly" can often add to the pain or discouragement of the moment.  But I have recently blogged about several times that someone's words have made an impact on my own life.

I find this particular phrase can be very helpful in staring down whatever it is that seems insurmountable.  When you think about raising children, and all the years you have after they have left home, it does put some of the hard times into perspective and help you get through the days!  Or if it's not about raising children, then illness, grief, unemployment or whatever -- "This is just a moment; it's not the rest of your life!"

I wish I'd given my kids more words of advice that they could now quote!  I often read these stories and hear people telling of all the wonderful things their mothers (or fathers) taught them, and I can't think of much that I said that I hope they remember.  (I can think of some things I hope they've forgotten!)  Sorry kids!

3 comments:

Bethany said...

You have left us with plenty of memorable quotes and advice! We appreciate your wisdom and patience, and especially your ability to recognize that in the heat of the moment, often advice is not met with a receptive ear...

Emily said...

What are you talking about? No memorable advice? Daily mantras for me: "Make the covert overt." "Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." These thoughts are just as good as taking a deep breathe. You get the credit!

Emily said...

Oh, and I'll be adding "This is just a moment..." to my daily thinking exercises.