From Jan, unicorn(a)sun-spot.com
Open Your Present! (from the "Sunday Afternoon Rocking" series)
There is the Past, and we who are Keepers of it, and traditionalists, well
appreciate it. We collect it, we share it, and in our heart of hearts we
know it is not about a collection at all. We light up the dark corners of
understanding and dust off the motes of years past, and we present it to
those of today that they might learn from it and appreciate it. And it is
a good thing we do, an enriching thing, a thing that gives roots to an oft
times rootless world. But there is a danger in it as well. And that is
that we Keepers of the Past may forget there is a Present waiting. It has
our name on it, and it needs to be opened… Someone will be disappointed if
we do not, for they are a part of the giving of it. And we will be
cheating ourselves if we do not, for it is a wonderful thing, this Present.
The wake up call came swiftly, without warning. Or had there been
warning? And I too intent on not seeing to see? And my own heart pounded,
and my thoughts ran rampant as I waited impatiently to register my husband,
throwing anxious looks over my shoulder to assure myself that he was being
cared for while I took care of the necessary business at hand. My husband
was showing signs of imminent heart attack, and we spent the early part of
this week at the hospital.
It was a wake up call. And the week has unfolded with constant thoughts of
what has been, and what is, and what we hope might be. I have found myself
considering how to stabilize this situation, at the same time I am well
aware I cannot stop time, cannot control. I have found myself pouring over
photo albums of our wedding day, our honeymoon and all the years sandwiched
in between our first days and the days that are now. I have found myself
appreciating all that we have lived through, and conquered, and learned to
live in peace with. I have found myself dreaming all the dreams we have
together for the future, and more determined than ever that these things
must come to pass. And most of all, I have found myself acutely aware of
the Present, acutely appreciative each time I look at him, still beside me,
still smiling, still able to tell me he loves me, still able to tell him
the same.
And bottom line is… we can do all the right things, and will try to do so,
but ultimately peace comes from accepting the Lord's will, and accepting
the serenity of knowing "all is right with the world" in spite of all that
seems wrong with it. Peace ultimately comes from gazing at all those
photos of the past, in reality and in candid shots captured in the hidden
secret places of one's heart, and being at peace with what has been, and
acceptance of whatever comes. And joy ultimately comes from opening the
Present.
This year has been a lesson in the cycle of life. We have buried five
family members this year, and we have seen the birth of one, and await the
birth of another. We have known the depths of despair and the euphoric
heights of joy. And all the emotions sandwiched in between. We have seen
an aged kinswoman take her last breath, and we have seen a newborn babe
take her first. And somehow we have found peace in the second being
followed by the first. She was a Present, a wonderful living and breathing
little package of life, and a reminder that there is a Present.
And what is life? Nothing more than another form of the occupation my
husband and I have for years dedicated our professional lives to: another
school. And it is not the grade that counts, but the way one goes about
making the grade. It is not what life hands us that is so important, as
how we go about handling it all. It is not altitude, but attitude. We
will not carry any riches out any more than we brought them in, and what we
leave behind us…a better world for ourselves being a part of it,
hopefully…are the only riches that count. It is all about "being
polished", a friend tells me. I suspect she is right. The Present is far
more important than we often realize, and far more sparkling than we often
notice.
Just for a moment, stop. Stop and listen and be aware of every sound you
hear. Count them. Do you hear things you did not know were there? Just
for a moment, stop. Stop and see every color you can find. Count them. Do
you see far more than you ever dreamed were around you? Just for a moment,
stop. Stop and be aware of yourself, every feeling, every touch, every
little gift your senses hand you. It is the Present. And if you open
it...I would bet there is someone who would like to see you take joy in the
small part he or she has played in giving it to you.
Sometimes when one rocks on Sunday, she does not dwell so much on what is
past, as on what is Present. A present is a gift. And now and then
rocking on Sunday means rocking and considering what is, and not what has
been. Appreciating what has been only in the sense of the creation it has
played in the Present. I am rocking on Sunday…and I thank the Lord for
this Sunday, for all the Sundays that have been, for all the Sundays to
come, for all the days sandwiched in between…and for the schools of life, a
daily school…and a Sunday school.
Open the ribbons, the wrappings, the tinsel and trappings of your Present
this Sunday…and enjoy what is! Someone is watching to see if you open
it. Someone is watching to see if you are pleased by it. Someone is
waiting for a word with you, a walk with you, a hug from you, a call from
you…open your Present!
Just a thought,
jan
Copyright ©2002JanPhilpot
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shared...simply share as written without alterations...and in entirety.
Thanks, jan)
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