LIFE IS AS BRIEF AS THE SETTING SUN:

As I sat intentionally this afternoon to watch my children play and to play with them,  I was grappling with the news that had come earlier in the day that someone I had known years ago had passed away this morning.  As I watched the boys play and heard them giggle and ask the unending questions, there was a conflict in my soul. It was one of joy and sorrow, as my soul longs with desire to always be able to be part of my precious family’s life but knowing there is a truth we must come to terms with. The truth that no man lives forever overshadowed me at that moment, be it in youth or old age it is a guarantee we will all leave this earth, one day.

Any of us who have lived on this earth for any length of time and/or has loved deeply will have experience loss to one degree or another and can understand the fragileness of life. Unfortunately this seldom is at the forefront of our thoughts on a regular bases.

We are so busy with life, the noise, activities and concerns of daily living often drowns out our ability to think, let alone think anything too deeply and ponder life’s briefness.  Once every so often, I believe, we are all blessed by God to have an eye opening moment.  In this moment it is our chance to make all the commotion around us stop, to reevaluate the direction our lives are going, to ponder if we are letting life slide by, if we are letting precious and priceless moments pass without drinking in the blessing that is right in front of us. Those awaking moments, though they happen more than once in a person’s life if you are blessed, still come seldom. Years pass so quickly and you may find that years have passed since you had a moment like that which makes you ponder the brevity of life.

I myself, as most, carry the guilt of missed moments that I will never, ever get back.  This comes from a person who has spent a large portion of their life as “a deep thinker”. Some of us are just prone to be that way, it can be a curse or a blessing.  But despite the hours, days, months and years I have spent determined to be involved in the moment, to make each connection when it is there, I have missed many. 

Each of us is given only a specific number days on this earth.  For each of us it is different.  No amount of begging, pleading, bargaining or promises is going to change the amount of time God has given to each of us. Sometimes it is easy to think that it would be nice to know how much time each of us has.  Not knowing though is the true gift.  Think about it, how many times do many of us wait till the very last minute to do something or even after it needs to be done?  Clean the house right before company comes? Wash the towels when we just use the last one? Put dinner on the table an hour after everyone is hunger? Pay the bill the day after it’s due date? Keep that promise that you promised to do last week?  The list is endless. For many if we knew our total number of days, we would miss out on so many blessings because we would wait. We might wait to heed the call of the Savior, and miss out on so many blessed things in life with him.  We might wait to take time for our children knowing that we had tomorrow but missing out on the point of today.  If we knew we had x number of special days to celebrate with that one person, maybe those special days would not be so special because you would know there was more to come.

The point, well it is different for everyone but yet it boils down to the same thing.  Love deeply today.  Take time today to spend with those that really matter.  Today is the day to forgot about the things that your loved ones won’t remember if they are left only with your memory.  It is the day to give them memories to smile about and fill their hearts with love when that is all they have to hold onto to. And God forbid if you are the one left with the memory of your loved one, today is the day to know that you took every chance you could to see each moment and blessing that was before you. Knowing that you took nothing for granted, knowing that you held onto joy while joy was there to have with your loved one.

For those of us that have little ones, we can only pray that the order of the life cycle  will happen as intended. That we in our old age will part this earth before our children.  If we are blessed in that way, while we are on this earth our children still are going to leave us to spread their wings and soar by God’s grace in this life.  Let us make sure the memories that we are left with in that situation is not one of regrets either but again knowing we made the most of each moment. 

Take today, love without measure, laugh as it is a medicine, cry with compassion, give of yourself to others until you are empty because as it is really the only way to be filled.

Blessings;

Lea