Sit Here for the Present

Growing up, my favorite author was Beverly Cleary.  I especially loved the character of Ramona.  Ramona the Pest introduces Ramona Quimby and her experience at school the first day of Kindergarten.  When Ramona's teacher tells her to "sit here for the present, " Ramona assumes that if she keeps her seat, her teacher will give her an actual present.  Poor little Ramona, sitting there so sweetly hoping for a gift from her new teacher, but the gift never comes and so, with each passing minute, Ramona becomes increasingly dejected.  Meanwhile, the classroom is alive with games and opportunities.

How many times have I felt just like Ramona!  A friend comes to visit, and while sitting there chatting, I am itching to leave my seat, not because I'm not enjoying the company but because there are so many distractions.  I am thinking of the laundry or the dishes.  I argue with myself that I can surely do both--why not share a cup of tea while also rinsing out the pot that made it?  Why not sort that basket as we exchange stories in the living room?

I'll tell you why.

It's because I might miss the present.  Being fully present is the present.

I have some dear friends who know how to do this well.  They never look at their clocks.  When circumstances intersect the highway of their day, they welcome the interruption.  To them, it's not an interruption.  It's an opportunity--to share, connect, and grow.

Luke 10:38-42
     As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!"
     "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Oh, it's so hard for me!  But I must remember that whenever I carve out a portion of my day to invest in another person, I will not be disappointed.  If only because God made her, my presence in the present will be a present--either to me or to her.  I have never regretted time spent basking in the sunshine of someone I love.