Time

 Time . . . 

Time is such a fickle thing.  Sometimes it's so slow and just drags you along and other times it goes so fast that you can't hold on tight enough.  

Lately, I haven't seen time slow to even a moderate speed . . . it's flying by so quickly that I can't even attempt to hang on.  Evidence of that is how long it's been since I've done a blog post.  Something I've desperately wanted to do . . .   and even today, a long "to do" list awaits me, but time waits for no one, so I've decided to just grab a little piece of it. 

When I left off from the last blog, I was sharing the back story to how I got to where I am today . . . I'll leave that on hold to share today . . . here and now.  

So -- the here.  The here is in the back woods of Maine.  The now is me at age 55 (which is only a number to me and truly nothing more or less) living a life that I now see as so incredibly blessed. (More on that when I get back to sharing my back story.)  

But for today . . . it's about time . . . 

We had a big nor'easter this past weekend that dumped between 18 and 20 inches of snow on us.  It wasn't "record breaking" or even as big as storms we've had in past years but was bigger than we've had in a while.  (Time has altered my perspective along with the climate change that has also affected life in regard to seeing this storm the way I did.)  As I was out playing on the huge snowbanks with the grandkids it occurred to me the full circle of life.  I watched as Tyler pushed Daisy down the hill on her tiny red sled . . . flashbacks of us doing that with Tyler and Bekah when they were little . . . flashbacks of the joy in the little things and how all the struggles and challenges of life just slip away when you simply enjoy the moment.   I was reminded that I must -- always -- grab that time and cherish it . . . 

As I was pondering those things a friend was on my mind.  A good friend, a dear friend.  One that I used to spend a great deal of time with.  We simply haven't made time for each other . . . And not that we don't want to . . . life and family and other important things are in there for both of us, but in the spare moments . . . even brief ones I know that I could carve that precious time out.  So with that in mind, I looked at the looming long list and prayed, "God help me today to know what is important," and He answered.  "Your list isn't my list."  The dear friend on my mind . . . she needed to be on that list -- somewhere.  A call?  A text?  A visit?  Did she really need me to interrupt her time?  Maybe I need her today?  Maybe she needs me? . . .  A message was sent and responded to quickly.  A visit is on the docket for today.  What a blessing.  What a huge, huge blessing.  The "to do list" is a best friend . . . A reminder that moments shouldn't pass.  We never know what tomorrow holds.  Moments are like sand that slip through our fingers.  A few grains cling to our fingers and stay as precious memories, but what about the grains that pass by that maybe would have stuck . . . We can't get those back.  We can't look into that sand and find them . . . 

Time is what we make of it.  Memories are made in seconds.  Seconds add up and soon you have thousands of moments that sustain you, fill you, and make life so much more.  The photo below is of my little grand-daughter experiencing her first real sledding adventure.  A precious moment . . . a place in time that was caught and cherished.  The second photo is my dear friend, when she grabbed a moment with a whole bunch of kids and slid down a hill with the same excitement as one's first time . . .  I'm looking forward to whatever precious moments we have today.  I'm looking forward to whatever God will show me is to be cherished . . . 

Grab those moments.  Find the joy.  Seek that which will fulfill your deepest soul . . . God has so much more for us in this life and the life after, we just need to grab it!!