Celebrate the Moments!

Jeanice Sherai
May 22
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

I sat and rocked my three-year-old daughter tonight. She still allows me to rock her, and I had the honor and privilege of rocking her to sleep.

Okay, she preferred her Dad rocking her but then settled for me, but that's not the point. Let's stay focused! 😎

The point is, I rocked my baby girl. As I rocked her, I stared at her.

Messy, braided pigtails all over her head. Her skin is super smooth, and her face has these gorgeous deep brown tones. Her face is almond-shaped, and the area under her eyes is darker, just like mine. Her toenails scratched my thighs, and I thought, "I really need to trim those." She was asleep in my arms, wearing a Bluey cartoon nightgown, and I sat there rocking her, trying hard to keep my mind focused on this moment.

This moment won't last forever, but it's really special. Before long, I won't be able to rock her like this. Her legs are getting so long already. I hold her close and kiss her forehead. I'm grateful to God for this phase of parenting, for my marriage right now, for our home, and for this time in my life.

Okay, let’s be real for a moment: this season has been a bit of a rollercoaster, and if you know me, I do not ride rollercoasters. I'm the type that volunteers to hold the bags while everyone else rides 😂.

Don't worry, I'm not handing out invitations to a pity party. I'm just here to remind you that life will often give us the best of moments and simultaneously the hardest of moments. That's just the balance of this life that we live. I also think it's the beauty of this life as well.

I mentioned before that this year started off tough with the loss of an aunt who meant a lot to me. Grief has this knack for bringing up other things you've set aside to heal from, pulling them right back to the surface.

In my walk with grief, I’m not only saying goodbye to someone I loved; I’m also dealing with heartbreak due to the state of the world we live in. I'm learning to release how I once so easily had a creative spark (which seems to have taken an extended vacation) and how my body used to function so that I can embrace my "today" body, which is doing its own version of a surprise makeover (*that's a whole different story).

But here’s the twist: I’m actually grateful.

I'm grateful, y'all. Truly, truly grateful.

I am grateful for grief!

Grief is an amazing teacher. She's strict. She does not allow you to skip a lesson. You must show up for every stage, if not, you will have to go back to that stage and redo it.

I’m learning to appreciate this season's lessons. I know from past experiences that I'll probably look back and miss a lot from these moments. So, as I rocked my daughter, I reframed my thoughts and took a moment to think about the good things happening right now, and I thanked God for them.

Before this moment, my hubby, daughter, and I had a giggling fest. They both teamed up on me and tickled me until I begged them to stop. Before that moment, I hit the door of the room that my husband was in and ran away, giggling as if I was not around. These were sweet moments. The day wasn't perfect. Yet, the moments that stood out were the bright, lively moments.

I know it will be true when I look back on this season as well. So, I thanked God for all of the moments.

What can you embrace in your now?