Carpe Diem

I recently read an article titled "Don't Carpe Diem" about one mother's struggle with the unsolicited advice she often receives as a mother with young children, "Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc." because "this time goes by so fast".   "I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty if I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing."  To make peace with herself and those who offer such advice, she settled on the following:

"There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It's regular time, it's one minute at a time, it's staring down the clock till bedtime time, it's ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it's four screaming minutes in time out time, it's two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in."

"Then there's Kairos time. Kairos is God's time. It's time outside of time. It's metaphysical time. It's those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them."

"If I had a couple Kairos moments during the day, I call it a success."

source article

{To which I add...}

Like when I am scurrying around to do one thing or another and I glance up just long enough to catch one of my children with a certain familiar expression that reminds me of myself or someone else... or maybe the way the light from a nearby window flickers in his eyes and makes them almost glow... or how she unexpectedly appears so much older than she did the last time I looked... or I see that he has completely stopped moving (a rare occurrence) and his whole face is outlined by intense concentration... and suddenly my whole being is consumed with love and gratitude for the blessing of them... and for that moment, time stands still.  I no longer recall what I was doing, nor does it matter because my mind is drinking in each incredible detail and I want to remember this one precious moment forever.  Kairos.