Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Time Will Tell

We’re back from our trip and had a wonderful time! Actually, we’ve been back from our trip- it’s just taken me a minute to get back in the groove. We flew into Portland, Maine and meandered up the coast to Acadia National Park- stopping at towns, harbors, and lighthouses all along the way. After a few days in beautiful Bar Harbor, we drove over to Woodstock, Vermont and took in the beauty around there. We stayed in a most charming inn but, sadly, Bob Newhart wasn’t working the front desk. Apparently, because of a hurricane and an extra-rainy summer and fall, it wasn’t the greatest year for fall foliage, but it was still prettier than a Mississippi fall and we really enjoyed (or I really enjoyed) the cooler weather. 

A couple of weeks before our trip, my family got together at our house. My little brother, Lee, was set to leave for Africa about the same time we were going to Maine. Lee, just being Lee, was going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. I was asking about his trip and he started asking about ours. He wanted to know what we were going to do and I listed our simple goals of enjoying the leaves and cool weather while taking in the rocky coast and lighthouses. He nodded slowly with a hint of sympathy in his eyes and pursed his lips as if he was waiting for more- like…. and after that we’re going to bike the Appalachian Trail through Maine, do a polar bear plunge in the Atlantic, and run in the Boston Marathon before heading home. It was then I was reminded that there two kinds of people in this world. Those who climb mountains and those who look at them. There are those who think vacations are a time to challenge themselves and live on the edge and those of us who are content to tank up on the hotel breakfast and enjoy the scenery (from elevations that don’t cause hallucinations without supplemental oxygen. True story.) We are not the same. 

Mountain climber

Mountain lookers

I can’t get over the fact that we’re already a week into November! Wasn’t I just celebrating the arrival of September and the promise of fall temperatures?? Still waiting on those, by the way. I’m not sure if it’s my age or just the ridiculous present-day pace of life, but I feel like time is whizzing by me. Last week, I got a reminder text for my six month dental checkup and I was sure it was a mistake. It seemed like I was just there getting my teeth cleaned, a few weeks ago. When I was young and life was less packed, time seemed to move like molasses. Now, it feels more like Niagara Falls and I’m going over the edge in a barrel. 

It’s been a really busy fall and, lately, I’ve felt like I’m on that playground equipment we used to play on at school. I think it was called a merry-go-round, but it wasn’t always so merry. Of course, they don’t make those anymore because of these new things they have in place now called safety standards. Kids who grew up before the 90’s were, unknowingly, the safety testers, lab rats, experimental cases, and crash dummies for future generations. Anyway, it was quite enjoyable when the thing was turning at a leisurely pace but, invariably, one of the boys would come over and, with a running start, sling it around and around and around with all his might. Faster and faster and faster it would go and we’d have to hang on for dear life. We went from enjoying ourselves to just trying to survive and not get slung off into the nearby woods or, worse yet, get caught underneath it. Pity the poor soul who ever fell off and rolled under there. The merry-go-round wasn’t much fun when it was like that and life loses something, too, when it’s too full, too fast, and we’re just trying our best to survive. 

On our way up to Maine, I snapped a picture somewhere around NYC. “I think I saw your baby girl tonight,” I later texted a friend whose daughter lives there. Flying at night gives you a good perspective on life. Passing over one big city after another. Seeing lights that go on for miles and miles and miles. Lights that represent dwellings and people living life. People and families represented by each flicker. It’s a good visual when we start thinking we’re so important and essential to the world spinning. Our lights are only shining for a short while in the middle of billions of others in the world. Candles and light bulbs have a burn time and so do we. What are we doing with our fast-moving time slot? Are we letting go of eternal things to make more room for “grasping for the wind?” Are we sacrificing the eternal for those things that won’t matter in 2 years, 10 years-  much less eternity? When a woman gets in her 50’s and time starts moving like a speeding bullet, she ponders such things more often. May the way we use our time reflect that we’re seeking God’s kingdom first and may we not be the generation that fails to model for our children and grandchildren what’s most important. We’ll show them our priorities by what we choose to do or not do with our time. It’s very telling. Yikes

I hope y’all have a wonderful week! I’ve really, really missed this. 

Love, 
JONI 







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