A Glimpse

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in ourselves and our lives that we forget to just be thankful for what we have. It's easy in this day and age to get caught up in politics or "global warming" or the high gas prices and the list goes on but when we stop and think about it, for most of us anyway, life is very good. Now don't get me wrong it can always get better. Am I making the money that I want to make right now? No. Am I satisfied with my life's achievements so far? Somewhat. But I may never reach those particular goals and I can't spend my entire life waiting to get to that point before enjoying what I have now. Sometimes we get a glimpse of how good our lives are when we least expect it and that's what I want to talk about today.

This last Sunday was Mother's Day. That day when we honor our beloved mom's for everything they do and have done for us in our lives. My family and I spent a quiet day at our home and just relaxed. My wife got up early and as is her routine made her coffee and read the newspaper out back and listened to the wind in the palm trees. (She loves that sound). It was a beautiful Florida day and the temperature while in the 80's was offset by the wind. All in all it was great weather. I joined her a short time later and also enjoyed a cup of coffee. We both just sat there in silence and took in the day. It was wonderful.

About 3-4 hours later my mom and dad arrived. My wife and I floated in the pool while my mom took a nap and my dad read his new book. A little while later we enjoyed some snacks of fresh fruit and cheese and crackers and some artichoke dip. Afterwards, we enjoyed some more time in the pool and once again just took in the day. Eventually it came time to eat dinner and because it was Mother's Day my dad and I would cook the meal and my two teen aged daughters would lend a hand. We put the steaks on the grill and then made the rice and broccoli while my daughters assembled the salad. All the while the "moms" relaxed outside. The time came for us to eat and after blessing the food we partook of the meal and had relaxing, interesting conversation. After the meal my dad, my daughters and I began the cleanup and I took dish washing duty while the girls cleaned off the table and helped to dry and put away the dishes and the pots and pans.

At one point my dad moved over to the piano and started to play. He used to tune pianos so he has and incredible ear for music. He can just sit down and without knowing the song start to play it from ear without sheet music. I guess it was about this time that it struck me. With my dad filling the house with music, my daughters engaged in playful banter with one another while drying the dishes and me with my hands in the sink cleaning that I had a brief moment of clarity. I don't know why it hit me as hard as it did but ever since it happened I knew I would write about it. I realized in that moment that my life, while not perfect, is very good. I realized that although there were a hundred different places I could be in this world had I chosen different paths, at this moment in time there was nowhere else in the entire world that I would rather be and I thanked God for that moment. For that glimpse....of happiness.

The Ride

I was thinking about how fragile life really is and how things can turn upside down in just a matter of minutes. Have you ever watched the news and heard about someone that was just going through their day and then "BAM" something happens that completely changes the rest of their life. I sometimes wonder why that person ended up in that position in the first place. Was it the result of bad choices, poor upbringing, reckless ambition, etc? Or was it just life. I think there are a lot of people that get themselves in tight situations and say "Yeah, I figured this would happen sooner or later" but I also think there are a larger majority that just sit back stunned and say "How did I get myself into this position". Life can be a real roller coaster. I have this saying "It's always something" when bad things happen to me because quite frankly it LITERALLY is always something!! Some may think that sounds somewhat pessimistic but the longer I live the more I think it's just a realistic view. There are so many people that I know that are dealing with tough issues and just when one issue seems to be resolved....you guessed it....another rears it's ugly head. I am the dad of two beautiful, teenage girls and I want them to have a great life and be happy like every parent wants for their kids but I also want to prepare them for what is coming. Life is going to be a struggle. Even if you "make it" it's still going to be tough and there will be ups and there will be downs. Life takes it's toll after a while also. Some people claim that they would want to live to be 100 or more years old. Really? Do you REALLY want to fight this world for that long? If life IS a roller coaster than that my friends is a long ride!!! I guess in searching for the right "words of wisdom" for my kids I would just have to tell them to make good choices, treat people well, have fun and just survive the ride. Each day life is going to throw a few curves at you and there will be some big dips and some hard turns but enjoy the ride, survive it and at the end of each day leave it behind. Because one thing is for sure...the ride starts anew when you wake up the next day.