Family Life: Enjoying Good Things While They Last

Unfortunately, when it comes to enjoying our family life, we often come to appreciate it only when the happy times are gone: we look back and mourn them, understanding only in retrospect how good we had it.

It happens when children grow up and leave home. Parents look back and regret not fully enjoying their time with those children when they were young. It happens when a spouse or another loved one dies. We look at family pictures when they were still alive and mutter something like, "Oh, how happy we were back then!.. I wish we appreciated it more."

Why is it? Why do we only value good things (or times) when they are gone? There are reasons, of course. Busy-ness, self-absorption, general ungratefulness and tendency to take things - and people - for granted. Sadly, we are all guilty of that, more or less. Wiser people keep themselves aware of the fact that nothing lasts forever; for that reason, they hold on to their families - kids, brothers & sisters, parents - and cherish every moment together. And then, when things change and another part of their life turns into memories, they are able to look back with feelings of warmth, not guilt and regret.

I was blessed to have realized some of these truths long before my dear grandmother died. She lived quietly in her old-fashioned log cabin house I so much loved to visit, and it seemed that things would stay this way forever: grandma's home always open for us all, with her special fried potatoes always on the table. Yet I knew it could not last forever. The thought was painful and I'd chase it away, but it still sat in the back of my mind: "Enjoy it while it lasts. Go see grandma. Buy a bag of those chicken nuggets she likes and go - let her say once again that you're spoiling her."

Those days are gone now. The moment had come, and grandma passed away. I cherish those memories: nuggets, donuts, endless stories about old days, and of course grandma's special fried potatoes. The memories are a little said, but, thankfully, they are not poisoned with guilt and regret: I did enjoy it while it lasted. I did not take those days for granted. Hopefully, I will look back at today's life without regrets, too.