Moments In Time | Walking Through The Valley

Archive for Moments In Time

Little Moments In A Great Big Life

By sglidden · (20)

I lay in my warm bed with the dark turning to light of the early morning, and snuggle in under the covers a little deeper. I don’t want to wake up fully to my day yet. I feel his arms tighten around me and pull me close and my heart swells with love.

In my dreamy fog, where I am almost awake to reality but still asleep in dreamland I think how nice it feels to be held by him. It’s been so long…..

I wake up with a start and look around the room, searching, seeking. He is there, the plastic mask that covers his face blowing in and out, in and out. His paralyzed arms lay there on top of the blankets, just as I placed them when he went to sleep the night before.

I lay my head back down, bewildered. It felt so real. So real. But it was just a dream.

I must have woken him with my movement, and he moves his feet towards mine. We hold feet now, not hands. It is all we have left. And I know it’s precious and sweet, but this morning, it doesn’t feel like enough.

I can’t shake my dream. My heart grows heavy in my chest and the loneliness sinks in. I miss him Lord, I whisper, and he’s right here next to me. How cruel is that?

And I think:

How many times did he come up behind me in the kitchen and I shrugged him away because I was busy?
How many times did I just rush through a good morning or a good bye, leaving out the hug because I was in a hurry?
How many mornings did I spring out of bed instead of laying there a little longer in his arms because I had a to do list to check off?
How many times did I brush him off, tell him to stop, or move away? How many moments did I miss because I was too busy, too tired, too….whatever?

I suppose we all do it, rushing through our days and missing moments that seem so small but what we learn at some point is the small stuff becomes the big stuff someday. We know it, and we hear it. We want to slow it down, but unless are reminded to often, we let those moments slip by, day after day.

I wish I could take one morning back and get and extra long hug. And that’s the thing, I am realizing. Moments can’t be taken back, they can only be embraced when they come. But the gift is,they keep coming and we always have a chance to do something with the moment right here in front of us.

Today is a new day.

How will you embrace the little big things in your life?
Will the moments of this day become your memories or your regrets?

(20)

Don’t Wish Away Your Monday

By Stephanie Glidden · (0)

It’s Monday! A day of the week a lot of people dread. I think too many of us take Monday for granted. I know I’d love to be packing my husbands lunch box and kissing him goodbye as he walked out the door for work. It was over two years ago that we found out there would be no more Mondays like that. We took Mondays for granted too. We wished too many of them away, rushed through five days of the week to get to the two we wanted. What I would do now to have a normal Monday back.

What If?

In 2011, a poem written by a Colorado woman named Natalie Fognani was turned into a song by musician Lucas Hoge. The song is called “How Was I To Know?” When Natalie wrote it, she could no longer walk, talk, or move her arms and hands.

Folks, she wrote the song with her toe (a hot pink painted one at that, love it!) Natalie was trapped inside a body that didn’t work any more because of ALS. Her dream was to have her poem made into a song, which thanks to a group of special people, she was able to see her dream come true before she passed away a few months later.

For a woman who was weak and frail, she has a message that is strong and true. It’s a message we can’t afford to miss.

I read an interview that was done with Natalie. This is what she said:

“It occurred to me that most people take it for granted that they can talk and hug and kiss. I had taken all those things for granted. How was I to know I’d be in this condition? I looked forward to retirement, a next vacation. I took my good health for granted, friendships and relationships. I didn’t thank God enough for the blessings in my life”

The Little Big Things

It’s hard not to take the everyday things for granted. But I hope Natalie’s song will cause you to slow down. To focus on the little things in life today. To appreciate your Monday, and every other day of the week you can hug your kids, kiss your husband or walk to the mailbox. It’s the little things, but they really are the big things after all, aren’t they?

Here is the video that was made for the song.It starts out with how the song was made, and then the musician meets Natalie and performs for her. I’ll just warn you ahead of time: Get your tissues.

Carpe Diem

Now go, seize your day. Love the mundane, embrace the normal. My house is always in shambles on Monday. It’s a day of putting back together. I don’t always like it, but I am happy another Monday came.

How about you?

This is the day that the Lord has made

Let us rejoice and be glad in it

Psalm 118:24

(0)

What You’ll Find Us Doing A Lot This Summer

By sglidden · (1)

It’s one of our favorite things to do. And it’s practically free. Save the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. Oh and occassionally we forgo dinner as we know it and do hot dogs on a stick.

A great side benefit? No dishes!

I remember when the babes were little. We would gather around the camp fire until their little eyes got sleepy. Then we’d put them to bed and stay up for hours talking.

Now we are going bed much before their eyes are sleepy and they are the ones who stay up for hours talking. Who knew I’d be so old one day!

I’m sharing at Finer Things, One Beautiful Thing and Money Saving Mom!

(1)

These Are The Moments

By Stephanie Glidden · (2)

Getting out the door to do anything has become quite a challenge lately.

Gone are the days when we can just jump in the car and go. I have figured it takes us about 3 hours to be able to get out the door from start to finish. Scott gets so easily tired these days, it’s do one thing to get ready, rest for 15 minutes. Do another thing, rest for 15 minutes.

Whenever we would go places, Scott always helped me get us all out the door. If I forgot something, he would remember. He’d think of things I wouldn’t, and I’d think of things he wouldn’t. And somehow it always came together. We were a great team. Now I am flying solo, and believe me, I am missing my team mate incredibly.

But when you have a day like this to show for it, it is all worth it:

I’m linking up to #onebeautifulthing and Finer Things Friday.

(2)

Our Week In Review

By Stephanie Glidden · (1)

This week had a lot of twists and turns. Good and bad. Emotional but happy.

We had visits from good friends, Scott’s parents, and we visited our beautiful friend.

We have a daughter in a play that we saw very little of this week due to practice, but she’s having a blast. A a son with far too much energy, and our oldest daughter who helps me so much I’d be lost without her!

That’s the good.

The bad?

ALS isn’t going away. I wish it were. At least staying the same. But things are changing.

Scott’s legs are beginning to be affected. He is getting a lot of cramping, twitching, and weakness. His right foot doesn’t want to work like it should. We know what that means. It’s scary to face what lies ahead.

But the good?

We were offered a wheelchair, a ramp, a trailer, and a stair lift. All.In.One.Week.

God provides. He truly provides. We didn’t even have a chance to pray about it. We are still coming to terms with the changes. But God has shown us He is here. He knows what is next and He is making sure we are ready for it. Amazing.

I try to capture a moment every week.

This was “the moment”

Eric, who wears a men’s size 9 shoe, climbing up in his daddy’s lap to tell him a story.

And daddy, obviously getting a pretty big smile out of whatever he is telling him.

Love it.

How was your week?

(1)

Moments In Time: Daddy Spa Day

By Stephanie Glidden · (1)

Seriously, I don’t know how I could do any of this care giving stuff if it wasn’t for my kids. They help me so much!

We had some beautiful weather this week. Amber took her daddy out on the deck to give him a full foot massage and pedicure. Just for the record, I can do just about anything Scott needs. But feet, I have a hard time with. So Amber has taken on feet duty for me. Little angel!!!

And as you can see, daddy loves the special attention he is getting!

(1)

Where Oh Where Could They Be?

By Stephanie Glidden · (1)

On a beautiful Spring day, two people were missing from their usual spots.

This is where I found them!

Lindsey enjoying some time with her daddy on the deck

(1)

A Favorite Easter Memory

By Stephanie Glidden · (0)

I always tease Scott that he is the least romantic man in the world. I mean that endearingly, of course. He just isn’t the poem, flowers, and chocolate kind of guy. He said that’s what Hallmark is for. The card says what he wants to say and he just signs his name. Funny guy. (Remind me to share the diet coke story one of these days. You’ll understand! ha ha)

I, on the other hand, am a dreamy romantic. Opposites really do attract.

The reason I share this is because there are a few times Scott has done something “romantic” and I hold those times very dear to my heart. Maybe because there are few of them, they are extra special.

Part of my dreamy romantic side involves hats and bonnets and gowns and all that fancy stuff. So for Easter, I always put my sweet little girls in bonnets or hats. The moment Amber was born, I asked for someone to please get me a bonnet to put on her head. I just think it’s the most adorable thing! So every Easter I bought them a new hat to wear, which usually just ended up lost in the bottom of the dress up pile but it humored me for the day.

When my girls were little, I worked part time at a nursing home, (this is BE, before Eric). I worked every other weekend and Scott was on daddy duty. Back then, we only had cameras that had film you had to drop off to get developed. Remember that? Usually I forgot half of what was on my roll of film until I picked it up and would remember the picture taken.

One day I picked up a roll of film I had developed and found this picture:

While I was at work on a beautifully sunny Spring day, Scott took the girls outside in their beloved wagon and put their little Easter hats on them and took pictures of them for me in front my favorite blue spruce tree. He actually took almost a whole roll of film of them doing various things while I was off at work. He knew how much I missed them when I was gone, which was sweet enough, but to put their little hats on them……

I still get all choked up when I see it. It was one of the sweetest things ever.

(0)