Ah, the family vacation.
Take any set of humans out of their normal habitat for an extended
period of time, drop them into a strange, foreign land, and, well, stuff happens. On the way there, on the way back, and everywhere
in between, stuff happens. You know,
stuff like leaving one of the kids back at a gas station, because you forgot to
count all six of them before departing.
Or having to shorten an extended camping trip because one of the little
guys gets the mumps. But in truth, these
special times, these “parentheses” in our lives often become some of the
richest treasures in our memory bank.
For me, it was my first trip to Six Flags Over Texas, which, as a ten year old, seemed like another
universe from my normal life. Talk about
sensory overload. Terrifying roller
coasters and log rides, pulsating music, scenic boat excursions, spending the
day on a constant sugar high—what’s not to like? But in looking back, what
really made it extraordinary was that my mom and dad actually seemed relaxed and, as a family, we were all
focused on just having fun. Removed from
all the usual stress and routine of life, their personalities seemed to morph
before my very eyes. Who were these
people, and what had they done with my parents?
In a way, it’s kind of sad that as a culture we are so
reliant on “getting away” to slow down, to relax, and to focus on the things
and people that really mean the most to us.
Somewhere along the way, we’ve
lost the ability to savor our surroundings and treasure our loved ones in the moment. We say things like “where
did the time go?” and “they grow up so fast.”
Truth is, we get so distracted with the urgent that we miss the
important. And before we know it, the
kids are grown and gone and we wonder where did
the time go. Well, in fact, no one
stole it. We gave it away. To other things…
lesser things. And other people...from
someone else’s family.
One of my favorite modern song writers, Chris Rice penned a
commentary on this issue a few years back, entitled “Life Means So Much.”
“Life Means So Much”
Every day is a journal page
Every
man holds a quill and ink
And there's
plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or
some random sketching
Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days
count
Lead us in better ways
That
somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Every day is a bank account
And
time is our currency
So nobody's rich, nobody's poor
We
get 24 hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest, or squander
Try
to get ahead
Or
help someone who's under
Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life
And don't you think giving is all
What
proves the worth of yours and mine
Every day is a gift you've been given
Make
the most of the time every minute you're living
I was introduced to this song in
a most remarkable way. A few years ago,
my kids surprised my wife and me with a wonderful sampling of photos they had collected
or taken over several years. The video
began with our own wedding picture, then each of theirs, and then pictures (for
several minutes with accompanying songs) highlighting the early stages of our
grandchildren’s lives. Not posed
pictures with hands folded. These were
the true stuff of life. Swinging in the
park. Blowing bubbles. Bedtime stories. Opening Christmas presents. The last song on this original video was Life Means So Much, and both my wife and
I ended up in an emotional puddle! We
were so thankful for the incredible blessing each of our children and
grandchildren had and have been in our lives and that these moments had actually been captured on film!
In truth, every day is a gift we've been given. It takes intentionality to make the most of the time every minute
we're living. It takes making good
choices. Saying yes to some things and no
to others. I think one reason we so
freely give our time away to lesser things is pretty simple. For most of us, our natural default is not to place a high value on time…on now...on
today. Moses prayed in Psalm 90 for God
to “teach us to number our days and to
apply our hearts to wisdom.” Chris
Rice simply paraphrased it in the modern vernacular: “Teach
us to count the days; teach us to make the days count .”
The One who has ordained the
number of our days has to teach us to
live in the moment. Left to ourselves, we
tend to live as if time will never run out.
Much like the makeup opportunities
we have for everything from missed piano lessons to college entrance exams, we assume
that we can always do just about anything later.
As you hopefully look forward to
a slower pace in the coming weeks and spending time with those ones most dear
to you, also begin now to anticipate creating
special memories. Make these moments
less about random sketching as Rice
calls it, and more about a kind of rhyming
verse, intentionally finding more opportunities for beauty and harmony in
your own little world. Believe me, those
whom you love the most will not soon forget it. tad
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