Sunday, August 14, 2011

time


Life is short. The older I get, the more the reality of that statement slaps me in the face and I have to admit that I don't like it.

As a child, summer days were the longest ever. And summer vacation seemed to go on forever. Each day blending into another creating a seamless quilt of memories and events. Family and friends embellishing that memory quilt every step of the way.

Now that I'm an adult, I occasionally take the time to peruse my "memory quilt" as I sit with a cup of joe on the deck and watch the morning come, or as I watch my children creating their own memory quilts. Other times my trip down memory lane comes by looking at old photographs. I did this just last night and the screen on my computer became blurred by my teary eyes as I reminisced about a time just 3 years ago when my "baby" truly was a baby. Sometimes I find myself yearning for those days to be here once again. Other times I try to recreate events from my past for my family to enjoy. But I know that those days - while not lost - are simply stitched into my memory quilt.

And now that I'm an adult, my desire to treasure each event, each milestone, each person, each family member, each hug, each kiss, each encounter, each phone call, each friend, is amplified. I don't want to have regrets. I want to live life to it's fullest. Making friends not enemies. Loving with abandon. Finding the good in people, not the bad. Trusting wholeheartedly. Forgiving sincerely. Mending "fences" when necessary. And never looking back to find bridges burned.

If you are a friend, family member, acquaintance, or simply a stranger that's happened upon my blog. Take the time today to love the unlovable. Give someone another chance. Forgive the unforgivable. Call the person who's drifted away. Repair the rips in your memory quilt, so that as you look at the big picture that is your life, you'll see a fabulous creation where colors and textures, shapes and patterns all meld together into one unique creation that is personal to only you.

Love. Live. Laugh. Enjoy the life you've been given. Don't waste another moment.

4 comments:

Stephani said...

perfect :)

Aunt Kathy said...

well said Shelly...

Vicki said...

This was beautiful and so true! Unfortunately, you can't control what others decide, so sometimes you end up with holes in your quilt. Not pretty but it's reality.

Terry said...

How true, Shelly. So proud of you that you "get it" about life and the important aspects of it. My quest in recent years is to live in the moment -- enjoy/learn from whatever is happening in the moment you're living instead of spending too much time thinking about the past or worrying about the future. God will take care of that! :)