Do you remember when you were a kid, and you thought time was never going to hurry up? Like waiting for summer break or Christmas seemed to be an eternity. Now the days and weeks just fly by like a breath of air and Christmas came and went, summer is rushing through and before we know it, Christmas again! What’s the deal??

I have said it before, and I will say it again…we seem to focus so much on what’s coming ahead that we fail to live in the moment at hand. What are we missing? Probably more than we realize. It’s like a photograph…you can capture the moment on film, but can you keep the emotion of the moment as fresh as the picture? Sometimes we can keep a slight impression of the memory, but is it the same as when it happened? Not really. And how many times have you looked at a photo book or on your phone, saw a picture and thought, “When was that taken?”

Listen…I’m only talking about this because I think it’s time we get down to the reality of things and take a slow, long look at what’s going on around us. We are missing some fabulous moments! I am so guilty of jumping from one event to the next that I sometimes miss something that my grandchildren are doing, (like the 6-year-old and baseball), or a neighbor in need of a hand up and the reason is because my focus is out of tune with the purpose!

How about you? Do you find yourself rushing from point A to point C so quickly that you miss point B? When was the last time you jumped on the bike just to cruise around town, or better yet just a leisurely ride on a country road with no real purpose in mind other than to suck in the beauty of the evening? Are you so wrapped up in the flow of life that you forgot to kiss your honey goodbye before you left to go wherever? Are you so focused on the arrival that you missed the journey? Have you lost the thrill of the go because of the show?

These are questions we should ask all the time…why? Because we need to understand how short we are in the time we have been given to do all that we have been assigned to. We need to understand that some of the assignments we take on are not always the ones meant for us. We need to realize that the most precious thing we have going for us is time and what we do with our time is how we tune in the focus for the purpose.

Jesus didn’t rush around for anything. He had a friend that was lying sick and people rushed to let him know that he was close to death. They said, “you need to hurry!” Jesus stayed where he was for a couple more days and then went to see his friend. Well, he was greeted by his friend’s sister who said, “He died! If you would have been here, he wouldn’t have died!” Jesus simply said, “He’s not dead, he’s just sleeping.” The people looked at him like he was nuts! After all, it had been days since he died and he was in the tomb all wrapped up and even stinking by this time, (no embalming then). Jesus cried inside himself because after all they had seen him do, they still didn’t believe his word when he told them what was up. Well, Jesus spoke to the tomb loudly and said, “Lazarus, come out!”

What do you think happened? Well. The dude rose up and shuffled out! He had to shuffle because he was all wrapped up in burial clothes so tight he couldn’t move! So, Jesus said, “Unwrap those grave clothes from him and let him go!” And they did and found that Lazarus was alive and well with no stink on him! Woohoo! What a miracle that was! And it all happened because Jesus had his focus in tune with his purpose.

Well, how about you? Can you agree with me that getting our focus in tune with our purpose will be a better plan than jumping headlong into an overwhelming situation that might create more of a problem than a solution and only leave a memory that’s more of a blur than an impression? Let’s get about a new way of thinking and remind ourselves to slow down and enjoy the journey a little bit more.

July is bringing a few events we will be serving at…we hope you will enjoy the celebration of our Country with family and friends and remember to breath in the memories! The burst of the fireworks only lasts for a moment, but the impression they leave can last a lifetime!

Catch you in the Wind!

Mary G.