– By Kaka Lucas Thur 24 Feb

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore until you decide to be happy.” – Nightbird

From Easter Monday 2021, I entered into an advent that I thought it would last at least four months. Now I’m running the 12th month of my advent. It seems like a joke, but it is a reality only I can tell. Amid my advent, have had long days and months of lent, praying, and fasting but my advent seems not to end, and still, the tunnel looks dark.

In moments like these of uncertainty, we all can be carried away by worries about the future and forget the blessings of the moment. Enjoying the moment with the end goal, “something good is going to happen”, having no time limit, just hold on to that at the moment, and enjoy the moment as if you already have it. But wait! To go through this moment isn’t going to be easy, for our human mind will always want to focus on where we are going forgetting where we are at the moment.

For me, “Something good is going to happen” has been the tide that keeps me keep sailing ⛵️ on this messy sea of life. You can use this goal in your life too. But also I have these three tides that have helped me through the sea…….

WHY SHOULD I ENJOY THE MOMENT

1. I can only put this in words but for sure words can’t tell how exactly it happens. One year in advent, up to now I cannot tell how I did it. But for sure I can tell you moments are manageable. Taking each day preciously, even in discomfort, pain, betrayal, and, rejection. Moments of mental torture and verbal abuse, all passed, and since I had a goal, “something good is going to happen” what was happening at the moment didn’t affect me.
2. You can never know how to walk until you start the movement of the legs. One step after the other. I didn’t know who I really was, what I can really do, and how far I really could go until I started enjoying my advent in my way. Moments provided a glimpse of myself, who I am, and what I can do. We all have ways to sail the sea of life, and we should know that and find ways to enjoy.
3. Enjoying the moment was the best decision I ever made before my birthday last year and after. For it is in this enjoying the moment that I now can tell where I’m at peace, with whom, and at what time. My body too is speaking too loud (yes my whole body is speaking) and when I’m asked what went on and what is going on, I respond, “I am enjoying the moment”.

Reading Matthew Kelly’s book on “perfectly yourself” I can’t stop  using his very words that make me want to enjoy not just the moment, but even the second and if there is something below the seconds…he states, “Think about it.

• In what moments over the past week or two were you at your very best?
• What were the contributing factors?
• How can you increase the number of those moments?”

Maybe that’s all you need to start confusing your enemy! That is all you may need to make the very first step.

Just seat and have a meeting with yourself and make this moment memorable.

This week as we celebrate the life of Nightbird, she reminded us “ITS OK” in her song during American got talent, but these, her words mean a million meanings to our world today, they give a reason to enjoy the moment, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore until you decide to be happy.” – Nightbird……. https://youtu.be/G6UzrJrkpwQ

(as i reflect on my spiritual reading on the book “Perfectly Yourself” I am grateful for my spirital father, Rev. Fr. R. Brown for making me understand how to enjoy the moment. There was no word, action spoke louder).