Sitting on a seaside bench along one of my favorite Maine beaches, it’s all in the moment. Children playing in the surf, surfers catching the waves, moms and dads building sand structures, sun bathers, walkers, puffy clouds, the smell of salty air, the brush of the fresh breeze against my skin. The memories abound and fill me up.
I see my grandparents sitting where I am now over 60 years ago. My children are playing in the surf on our annual pilgrimage back east now 40 plus years hence. I see my dad setting up the beach umbrella on a Sunday outing as if it were a moment ago. My teenage friends are gathered for a late night fire in a sand pit as the waves are crashing. It is all here and now without diminishing the emotion.
Jesus, Buddha, sages, monks and mystics have told us that “ the kingdom of God is among us.” The likes of Albert Einstein, the DailaLama, and Joseph Campbell have taught us eternity is ever present all around us and within us but we cannot slow down our obsessions to see it! Could it be we miss the most beautiful gift of life in its pursuit?
Being here now is being everywhere and always with those we love who are here and gone.It’s all in the moment for the taking.