2015 has just had to come knock me on the head and bring me back to the present.
Not that the present is so bad, but, oh, 2014 was one of those years that we have relished... from treasure hunting our perfect piece of land to perfect family cruise memorials... I rather liked 2014.
And then I read an article on Seizing the Moment and it reminded me of a day on the beach (on the afore-mentioned cruise in 2014) that made me smile...
It's my favorite picture for Seizing the Day.... and not just because it's the cutest grand-daughter ever, no... it's because she ran right into that cold water and had a blast. All the adults gingerly waded in, eyeing the overcast sky and curled our toes in that frigid water. Ha! We are such pansies, but, who would have thought that a beach in paradise would have been so cold?!
So, as a nod to 2015, I'd love to share the words that pushed me out of 2014 and has me opening my arms to whatever's ahead, risking even the brisk, cold waters for moments of such bliss with those I love...
"Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched ' Jeopardy ' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get little Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'
When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?"
Welcome 2015... Ready for Grace to unfurl for the Journey ahead. Praying that our hearts and minds might be opened to the treasures you have prepared just for us. Lord, let me not miss even one cherished moment in the coming year...
Seizing the Days in Grace, Always,
Jane
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