From Sherri: On Time as Sacrament
I am a single mother of a son and daughter who are both adults now.
During their junior high and senior high years, we rushed from activity
to activity. My son was a swimmer and my daughter played soccer and
basketball. In addition, both were involved in numerous other
activities at school and church. There were practices, meets, games,
and of course, homework. We were always on the run – often dinner was
in the car on the way to some activity. Time was certainly the enemy.
I noticed a phenomenon that developed during their junior high years.
About the time I was turning in for the night, one or both would come
into my bedroom, sit down on the bed and begin to talk. These
conversations were not run of the mill. They generally were very
serious in nature. This was the point that they brought up their
concerns, fears and questions about life in general. This was the time
for the heavy duty stuff of life. At first I believed that there must
be some master conspiracy against my sleep. But as I have further
reflected on this phenomenon, I have become convinced that the sharing
occurred at bedtime, because that was the point in the day that we had
each slowed down enough for these issues to bubble up. The television
was off; the phone had quit ringing. The house had quieted down. Some
of the most memorable discussions between my kids and I occurred during
these bedtime discussions. We talked about life, God and the future. My
son and daughter allowed me to glimpse the adults they were becoming.
These were the times when we cried together. By this time of day, I was
generally pretty tired and not full of much wisdom, so mostly I just
listened, really listened. I believe this was what both my son and
daughter really needed – they weren’t looking for the answers just
someone to hear them and be really present with them. They were trying
to sort out the solutions for themselves. I am so incredibly grateful
that they sought me out for these talks, but I can’t help but wonder
what our lives would have been like had our schedules been less hectic.
These evening moments of sharing were moments in which the three of us experienced time as a sacrament.
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