I confess. I am older than the smart phone. I even outdate the internet. Gunsmoke was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. If I wanted to watch that show, I had to plop down in front of my black and white TV at exactly 7:00 pm on Saturday night. If I couldn’t be there at 7:00 pm, usually because my barn chores didn’t finish on time, then I missed it. I couldn’t record it and watch it later. I couldn’t grab the episode I wanted from the internet. And I couldn’t stream it on another channel later. I had one chance to see it.

Moments are like that. You can’t just have them back. Especially the precious ones. It was the summer Jackson turned six. We were at our lake cottage in northern Wisconsin. Just after breakfast the first morning, Jackson came to me with a plea. He asked me to help him fish. It was a logical request considering we had everything we needed to do just that. There was one problem, I didn’t fish.

At that moment I should have told Jackson that I didn’t fish. We should find something else to entertain us that day. That is not what grandpas are allowed to do. We need to seize the moment, to be present. We would learn together. We first had to retrieve the bait. This required Jackson to touch the worms, YUCK! Eventually, with our prize nightcrawler in hand, we got it mounted on the hook. Next up, casting. After two or three clumsy attempts, success! Jackson was fishing and Opa was relieved. You might even say, off the hook.

Suddenly, his bobber ducked below the surface and Jackson did what every first timer does in that moment. He jerked back on his fishing rod and to his surprise and to my shock, Jackson caught his first fish! As Jackson stood, his trophy fish held out proudly in front of him, the mandatory pictures were snapped. And I was there.

There is an often-heard phrase, “Be in the moment.” On that day, and on that dock, I was with my grandson as he experienced the thrill of catching a fish. I was in the moment. If I hadn’t accepted Jackson’s challenge, I would have missed the whole experience. I wasn’t just IN the moment that day, I LIVED the moment. I was present.

It is so easy in our busy lives to miss the moment. We are distracted by our phones and screens. While we watch them, we miss the moment happening right in front of us. The dad so focused on his football game misses his two-year old raising her arms to mimic the classic touch down sign. The dad, so busy, he doesn’t find time to play catch with his daughter. The person we meet, dealing with an illness, but we are so distracted by our own story, we don’t bother to ask how they feel. These are moments we can’t get back. We weren’t present. Just being in a moment isn’t enough. We need to be present. We need to live in the moment.

I will end with another confession, I’m not perfect. As much as I intend to, I am not always in the moment. At some point, I have executed all of those examples. It takes effort to be in the moment, let alone to live in that moment. That day with Jackson serves as my reminder to at least try.