Life Is Meant to Be Lived

Life Is Meant to Be Lived

Life is to be lived. No excuses. No reservations. No holding back.

An enchangint story about violinist Fritz Kreisler tells how he once

came acrss a beautiful instrument he wanted to acquire. When he

finally raised the money for the violin, he returned to buy it and

learned that it had already been sold to a collector.

He went to the new owner's home in order to try to persuade him to

sell the violin. But the collector said it was one of his prized

possessions and he could not let it go. The disappointed Kreisler

turned to leave, but then asked a favor. "May I play the instrument

once more before it is consigned to silence?"

Permission was granted and the great musician began to play. The

violin sang out a quality of music so beautiful that the collector

himself could only listen in wonderment. "I have no right to keep that

to myself," he said after the musician finished. "The violin is yours,

Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world and let people hear it."

William Arthur Ward said, "If you believe in prayer, pray; if you

believe in serving, serve; if you believe in giving, give. For you

and I are exquisite violins - our music is meant to be heard."

I want to live my life that way - to take it into the world and live

it fully. I'd rather burn out than rust out. I'd rather be used up

than die not having done whatever I could . . . wherever I would.

I'm not talking about wearing ourselves out on over-activity.

Happiness is never found in excessive busyness. But it is found in

investing our lives in others. Saying YES when asked for a hand.

Volunteering some time for a worthwhile organization. Spending an

hour with a lonely relative.

In the end, I know that my happiness will not have been

about my ability or my inability. It will have been about my

availability. My life is meant to be lived.

~ Steve Goodier ~

Something Special

Although the way be lonely,

And dark the shadows fall;

Wherever it may lead,

My Father planned it all.

The sun may shine tomorrow,

The shadows break and flee;

It will be the way He chooses,

The Father's plan for me.

He guides my halting footsteps

Along the weary way;

For well He knows the pathway

Will lead to endless day.

A day of light and gladness,

On which no shade will fall,

All this at last awaits me,

My Father planned it all.

I sing through shade and sunshine,

No matter what befalls

His way is best, it leads to rest;

My Father planned it all.

~ author unknown ~

The Changing of the Seasons

I don't know why, but for some reason, when Fall comes, it always make me feel nostalgic. Don't misunderstand, Fall is my favorite season of the year, with it's earthy tones and colors, but somehow it leads me to wander back through the years and look at the seasons of my life.

I remember quite well being adopted as a toddler. It was like the second Spring of my life - figuratively speaking. It was a rebirth for me, like the rebirth you see in an earthly Spring, when all the annual plants once again make their way up through the soil made hard by winter snows and freezes. In some ways, I too, had already been through the hard times of winter, and now I was able to look at the world through new eyes. It was definitely a season of rebirth for me as I took in all the joy and happiness of a new home.

It seems like it wasn't long before I passed into the summer of my years with all the "busyness" and eagerness of youth, followed by the teen years with their whirlwhind of activities and changes. Those years were followed by the transition into adulthood and all the responsibilities that come with it. We graduate from high school and maybe college, and eventually move into the adjustments of careers and marriage and parenthood.

It seems like all too quickly we find ourselves settled into the Fall of our lives. Our children have reached adulthood and are settling into lives of their own - graduation, career, marriage, children . . . Oh wait - children?! That translates into a new and wonderful transition for us! Oh, the joys of being a grandparent! One of life's best and most enjoyable seasons! We have reached a maturity that allows us to be a softer and gentler, yet wiser, role model. Our experiences through the seasons of our life have created in us an ability to handle life with more patience and understanding, and with a softer touch. These are also the years when we look toward retirement and a very real "slowing down" in life. Life is more relaxed in the Fall of our lives, and I think once again, like children, we learn to appreciate the little things in life more.

Ah, but next comes the winter of our lives - the later years when we start to realize more fully our own mortality. It's a time when we look back over our lives and often wonder about what we did and how we did it. Did I do it right? Would I do it differently now? Well, unfortunately, life is not a dress rehearsal. Each season is a one-time transition. If we had it to do over again, would we do it differently? I don't think so. I believe that most of us give it our best the first time around. We may have been good at everything we did, or maybe we weren't so good at anything; but we gave it our best, with whatever tools we had been given through life.

Whatever season of life you are passing through, enjoy it to the fullest, because each transition only comes once!

When I Travel With Jesus

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Leave this old earth and take to the air,

Leaving the trials and doubts all behind me,

For nothing of these ever entereth there.

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Leaving behind all the worries and fuss,

No need to think as I wing my way upward,

"I wonder what others are thinking of us?"

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Easy to leave all the old life behind -

Easy to loose all the old ties that bind me,

For naught of the past shall be brought into mind.

"Twill be easy to pack when I travel with Jesus,

Be ready, O heart, as you press on the road -

Ready if Jesus should come now and call you -

Ready for Jesus to lighten your load.

~ John Ashford Hyde ~

The Beauty of Diversity

We could learn a lot from crayons;

Some are sharp, some are pretty,

Some are dull, some have weird names,

and all are different colors.

But . . . .

They all exist nicely in the very same box.

My Navy Man

Last year, my son decided to follow in the footsteps of several generations of men in his father's family, and join the Navy. He went through his boot camp training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Needless to say, boot camp alone took him through many transitions. The rigors of such difficult, structured training cannot be easy, but his dad and I were very proud that he was one of the Honor Graduates!

He is now stationed in Oklahoma and working hard to accomplish the goals needed for advancement through the ranks. Having grown up as a "Navy brat" he has an idea of the commitment and hard work required to live the Navy life and succeed at it. As a Navy man, his life will be one that is full of transitions! New bases with new jobs every few years, and lots of moving around. Since he has a touch of the wanderlust, I'm sure he'll do fine!

He has already done a lot of growing in the last year, and I'm confident that there will be more personal changes coming in the future. After all, he's a Navy man!

A Very Special Mother and Daughter

I'm very proud of my daughter! She's a single working mom, who's also a college student. She has been through many transitions in her life, some of them very difficult, but she has come out on top! I think my daughter is an awesome young woman. She's ambitious, hard-working, and a top-notch student who has been on the Dean's List since she began college in her twenties. After graduating from Junior College with Honors, she was nominated to, and selected for, the National Dean's List and is also a member of the National Honor Society.

As you can see by this picture, my daughter and granddaughter are very close. It's just the two of them, so they take good care of each other! My granddaughter is a precocious little gal, and is very aware of all that her mom has to do in order to be both mom and dad to her.

They've been through a lot of transitions together, but they are strong and determined, and both will go a long way in life!

My BaileyGirl

She's the light of my life, and a fun kid to be with! She came this afternoon to spend the night with me, and it's been fun, as usual. We've played games and talked away the hours like two good friends, and tomorrow we're going on a picnic!

It seems that I learn something every time she comes. For instance, I learned today that the color purple is just not where it's at any more. Her new favorite color is pink! Sigh . . . who can keep up?!

Of course, at this point in my life, it's getting hard to believe that my daughter is a thirty-something, and my son will be celebrating his 28th birthday tomorrow. Where in the world have the years gone?!

At times, it seems like the experience of raising children lasts forever, but just turn around and those little feet that pitter pattered all through the house, are now filling adult shoes. The little hands that left fingerprints on our walls are holding their own children, or at least cleaning their own fingerprints now!

Yes, it seems once again that life is one transition after another. We spend their infancy wishing that our children could walk, so that they didn't have to be carried all the time. then they begin to run, and we are weary from chasing them everywhere. Soon those feet don't want to walk or run anymore. They'd much rather take the family car!

Don't forget to slow down and enjoy each transition of your child's life. It doesn't necessarily get better or worse as they grow and move into another transition and stage of life - each stage is just different, with it's own set of joys and challenges! They only go through each stage once, so enjoy it for all that it is for the first time around, because that's all there is!

As they say, life is not a dress rehearsal. This is it, so enjoy every moment, and every transition for all it's worth, and when you look back on the years of your children's growth, you'll be glad that you did!

Happy Grandparent's Day!

Happy Grandparent's Day!

September 9th is Grandparent's Day and you know what? It doesn't matter whether you're a brand new grandparent with one precious grandchild, or if you've been in that role for years and have twenty grandchildren - it's still an awesome experience!

Being a grandparent is like no other experience in life! It is full of unexpected wonders and challenges. I remember the thrill of being invited to attend my granddaughter's birth! She is almost nine years old now, but I remember it like it was yesterday! To enjoy the thrill of a new little life without the labor and stress of motherhood was exciting and exhilarating, scary and humbling - all at once!

I can't describe to you the myriad of emotions that I experienced that day. I felt sympathy for my daughter, who had been in labor for three days, I felt joy at being able to be there in the birthing room, I felt excited about the new baby's arrival, and yet, when she came, there were complications and sudden concerns for her health and safety, so then anxiety set in. The relief of getting her to finally breathe, and the tears of joy to see the pink face of that prcious, tiny little life with such a perfect and beautiful little body, and all was well with the world! Now that little girl is rapidly growing, and we are good friends! The hours during our weekend visits are filled with games, and movies, and crafts, and sometimes just talking. What a joy those visits are!

Life is good when you're a grandparent! You learn, once again, to see life and the world, through the eyes of a child. The wonder, the amazement, and all the learning there is to do. Life through the eyes of a child is so much different. They don't have the baggage of all the cynicism and callousness that the world inflicts increasingly upon the adults with each passing year! They don't have the biases and the closed minds of those who are older and more experienced at life. To them, the world is a kaleidoscope of life and learning! There is so much to see, and do, so many things to investigate and taste and try!

Wouldn't it be fun to be young again, just for a day, and to see the world through the eyes of a child? Every day is a new beginning for children, and what a wonderful world it would be if we could live our lives as the children do! Imagine waking up without yesterdays burdens, yesterdays hurts and hates, and all the baggage that we adults seem determined to carry with us from day to day.

Life was meant to be lived through the eyes of a child. Grandparent's Day is coming soon. Grab the grandchildren, and spend the day looking at the world, and at life, through the eyes of a child who has no baggage, no biases, and no darkened lenses.

Enjoy life to the fullest and for that one day, live it through the eyes of your grandchildren!