I've been thinking about things I learned from Sam. One biggie is how to "turn in." All the members of his family are experts at it.
I’m not quite sure how to summarize “turning in,” so here’s an example: Let's say the family was all on a car ride together (not uncommon). If someone saw an eagle out of the window, that person would say something about the eagle and reliably, everyone would stop what they were doing to ‘turn in’ and experience the eagle together for a few moments. The Weises do this better and more often than most families I’ve spent time with no matter how big or little the object demanding their attention may be. They all ‘turn in’ reliably whether they were asked to do so about the weather, or Hadley’s resemblance to Kate and Sarah, or the ice dunes on the lake, or about re-telling an old family story for the Nth time and trying to remember every detail that goes with that particular story together. I think doing this makes them more connected. I realized that through small moments throughout our years together, Sam showed me how to “turn in,” too. When I had dinner on the stove, and was unloading the groceries, and stressing about work, and needed to return a phone call to someone all at once, Sam would often make me stop, turn in and have a hug and enjoy the quietness of a moment of loving connection even when things were hectic. Sam made me ‘turn in’ and watch funny looking clouds in the sky, or replay a song over and over so we could contemplate the meaning of a verse, or circle back to a bridge we’d just biked over to see if there were any trout swimming below. It created connection and, I now realized, those connections fed our love for each other. I have a tendency of rushing from point A to point B, and Sam showed me all the magic that there is to be experienced when we take the time to turn in and acknowledge everything else that happens around us but is not immediately in front of us. Debi, Jim, Kate, Sarah and Sam: Thank you for teaching me to turn in.
Kate
6/5/2017 08:00:24 am
How did I miss this post?!? This is amazing! Thank you, Jenny! I, of course, don't know any differently but can only imagine how funny all the Weis' packed in the car talking about the weather in expert detail and gawking at the moon together actually is. Love you, thank you so much for this
Sarah
6/5/2017 09:07:11 am
I love this too ❤️
Debi
6/5/2017 09:10:00 am
Or all running down to the beach together or cramming in a car, taking whoever happens to be in the house with us at the time, because the northern lights are "out," and we need to get to someplace open so we can all watch the show together. That just happened Memorial Day weekend. I love you and this post so much! Thank you, Jenny.
Maryann Lynes
6/5/2017 09:20:58 pm
I love this, Jenny! "Turn in". I will remember it, daily, as I too am programmed to focus more on the finish line than seeing the beautiful flowers along the pathway. Love you! Comments are closed.
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