“Do you remember the last time you picked me up when I was a kid? At some point, there was a time that you picked me up and then you didn’t.” Our son was waxing philosophically regarding our impending move.

I saw what he meant. There is a last time for everything: last time you saw the grocery store clerk, walked down a particular street, or spoke to a neighbor.

But instead of feeling sad or morose about last times, I also have been thinking how each and every moment that we exist is, in essence, a last time. The exact combination of everything surrounding us- the conditions of sky, clouds, weather, combined with the people present (or not), add any conversations plus all the logistics of place are unique to each moment. It won’t come around in that exact combination again.

I have realized that I should look at each moment as a unique opportunity to thoroughly enjoy what is transpiring.

I admit, I struggle with enjoying the moments. I seem to always be looking ahead and planning for future events. However, this pending move and the multiple changes we have had to make regarding it has made me quite aware of living into and enjoying each moment. If everything had gone according to the original plan, my thinking generally would be, “Next week, we will be in a new house….” “In three months the interior painting will be complete.”

Since our plans keep changing, I can’t think about next week or next month but rather have to think about the current day. “What do I need/can do today?” During this waiting time all I can do is enjoy the time given and my surroundings.

With life changes such as this move, there is also a tendency to look back at the past and what transpired. I remember when our first born left for college. After dropping him off, on the ride back home I mentally replayed his life events and rewound the many moments when I wasn’t practicing my finest mothering. The sound track of Paul Anka singing “Times of our Lives” played in my head all the while I sobbed over my regrets. Fortunately that lasted about two exits on the highway after I realized that I did the best I could and there was no use looking back. (As my husband and I once heard from a friend about her parenting style- all we can do as parents is educate our children so that, when they are older, they will have the financial means to pay a psychologist to listen to the complaints about us parents.)

There are last times that are demarcated in my mind: last time I spoke with my mother hours before receiving the call that she had collapsed and 911 was at her house, last time we regularly worshipped at our church, last time we pulled out of our beloved neighborhood.

As we know but rarely live into, life is a balancing act. We cannot live each and every moment so intensely for we would never get anything done. There would never be any time for future preparation nor would there be time for past reflection and correction. Yet if we are always looking behind or ahead we will never see what is right in front of us.

According to positive psychology the way to balance our thinking is to think about the past and the future in small doses and spend most of our time in the present.

Lately, I have tried to be more attentive to the world around me as I go about my day. While I have always been an observer, I find that I am relishing the observations: the colors of the natural world, the interactions of people I pass along the street, the quirkiness of life. I find that I am more grateful when I pause and enjoy my day.

I find that Jesus is a good model for living in the present. He reminded us that each day was sufficient. We do not need to worry about the future for we do not know what the future will bring. I also appreciate that He does not define us by our past. He did not replay the past problems or issues for those He encountered. Instead He called them to a new life and a new beginning.

What about you? Do you remember “last times”? What are they? Did you learn any lessons from those events? How do you spend your time- thinking and planning future events, reviewing and regretting past history? Or living into the moment?

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Live today, it’s a gift. That is why they call it “the present”.