"Your life is a gift from the Creator. Your gift back to the Creator is what you do with your life." Billy Mills
Another year is behind me. Where have the days gone? Life seems to be passing too quickly and I can't stop the clock. Our son will be half way through middle school, our daughter will enter her last year of high school. I'm not prepared for what is to come in this next year. I don't think you ever plan for many things that happen in life to us . I'm so thankful I can't see the big picture of what is ahead. I think I might have a panic attack.
As each year passes, life gets more serious, for our friends, and our family. Parents aging takes on new meaning, my generation feels the weight of being sandwiched in between raising children and taking care of elderly parents running in and out of the hospital. This year, people I love have lost loved ones; parents, sons. Yesterday, I visited with a dear friend who has been fighting cancer for over 15 years. Today we received news that one of my oldest and dearest friends has been diagnosed with a very serious illness. So much in life doesn't make sense, it is so hard to process all that is happening around us. All of a sudden, the daily routines and rituals that at times are so consuming seem so small and unimportant.
Last year on this day, I spent the day celebrating my grandfather who had just passed away. This year, I am entering this day with a heavy heart for friends I love so dearly. Celebrating a birthday takes on new meaning for me. It means a new start, being more intentional and grateful for each day that God gives me breath and health and others to love. Summer is just around the corner. Work, life and my inability to say no when others ask me to do something, takes away from the hours I can spend quality time with my friends and family. While it is important to make a difference in the community around me, I also realize that it is important to invest in the lives of those that live within the walls that surround me. It is also important to be a better steward of the temporary body that God has given me and focus on being healthier. It is really hard for me to do that when I am always making others a priority.
My personal word for years has been "Intentional". I think my word for this upcoming year will be "Present". This means I will have to unplug more, listen, talk less, and become more available. When each day passes, I can't go back and retrieve it. I'm thankful for friends who have stood by my side all of these years and family who have learned to love me inspite of my imperfections. Regardless of my external appearance changing, I can still choose to live life of an optimist and choose Joy, for each day, there are hundreds of reasons to be thankful.
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