With This One Day

         I don’t know about you, but I need to intentionally stop (or be stopped) time and again to wake up to the preciousness of life.  To wake up and be in this one, precious day.  It’s the schedules or the obligations; it’s the (seeming) monotony or the (given and chosen) routines of life that bring me to sleepwalk though so many of these days.  Through this day. 

         And something ~ call it grace or some life event~ something causes (invites, reminds, inspires) me to be here, be now.  And yesterday was such a gift.

         When all the stars align for me, I get to walk to and from breakfast with my friends in Booth 25 @ Evans.  Those Saturday mornings ~ walking to, sharing eggs with, re-tellings and listenings to previous weeks and then walking back home ~ all of this make up some of my favorite moments.  Walking home yesterday, sure enough I tripped over a raised sidewalk (didn’t fall, thank you God).  When I righted myself I saw one beautiful flower, opening up for all the world to see.  Particular.   Short-lived.  Beautiful.  This flowers was both teacher and reminder of the gift that was that moment, that day.

         Spring has come to the sunny South.  We’ve lived through the worst of the pollen this past week (I hope and pray).  The dogwoods and azaleas are opening up in the most spectacular ways.  There is beauty in all directions.  We are reminded with each step that there is more than we could ever hope for or imagine for all of our senses.

         For yesterday, for today and for whatever tomorrow holds ~ may our eyes see and our ears hear.  May our hearts be open to what comes our way.  May our predeterminations, our fearful places, our prejudices take a back seat so that we don’t miss one minute.  60 of those in an hour.  24 of those given for one particular day. That’s what we’ve been given for today, April 14, 2013.  We can’t dare miss a moment of it. 

(p.s. Happy birthday, cousin Karen)

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