It's not often that I find myself stopping on the local Christian channel as I surf up and down the dial. But a couple of nights ago a woman preaching a pre-recorded service caught my attention, because she was singing an old Barry Manilow song in the middle of her sermon. "All the Time" is the name of the song and it transported me back to my youth and to how I used this song then to wallow in self-pity about my small-town boredom. "All the time, all the wasted time. All the years, waiting for a sign..."

So I was hooked and what came next was a profound message that will stay with me for a long time, I hope. The text, for those of you interested, was 1 Corinthians 12:27: "Now you are the body of Christ, each one of you is a part of it." But the sermon was all about one word: NOW.

Through her examples and stories, this minister talked about how all of us live in the past (regrets, memories, what we "should have done") and in the future (what we're working for, our goals, visions, etc.) and totally ignore the NOW. And that we are missing the value of NOW.

This was intriguing to me since right NOW my NOW stinks! I mean, think about it. Right now, today, my computer I bought 3 months ago is inoperable, I'm fighting the court battle from you-know-where, we're spending tons and tons of $$ on therapies and interventions for LuLu, and because she's been home with me since Feb I have brought in no income to help with the mounting bills for therapists and attorney fees. I'm ignoring the NOW, because who can deal with all that pain????

But that was not what she meant. She talked about the importance of NOW and appreciating NOW. The importance of NOW was a call to (as they said in the 70s) "not put off until tomorrow what you can do today". NOW, she emphasized is the only time you have, the only day you're assured of. So do the important things NOW. That, of course, leaves us to figure out what the important things are. But I was sure that she was not talking about getting my computer repaired or hatching some plan to bring in more income into our struggling family. I was sure that the importance of my NOW has to do with focusing on my children -- raising them, nurturing them, and providing everything they need (a tall order). And reaching out to other parents, to perhaps reduce their struggle to find help, services and answers for their children, and to definitely help them appreciate their NOW as well.

Then, she went on to talk about the appreciation of NOW. As a former workaholic, I admit that I used to NEVER appreciate the NOW...always focusing on what I was working for, saving for, hoping for, planning for. Maybe it's middle age or maybe it's having all those savings, hopes and plans interrupted, but I have gained a much deeper appreciation of NOW. I think most parents of special kids are with me in that appreciation - it is one of the blessings that comes with parenting special kids. Each day is froth with so many trials, yet there are so many miracles, too. Things that seem insignificant to outsiders, are monumental if you're appreciating the NOW. So, I decided to make a list of the things I'm appreciating NOW.