Don't Waste Time

Taking time. Spending time. Saving time. Keeping time. Summer time. School time.

Yep, it's almost school time. Summer time is almost over, and it feels like it's only just begun. Time happens...it marches on, it never 'stands still'...and we can't ever 'make more'!

All we've got is right now, this minute in time.

This summer I've become very aware of time. Goals contemplated, goals set, goals met, goals re-thought, and goals re-set!

Real time, right now: I've been 'fighting' a head ache for two days. This afternoon, I came home and needed to just rest. During this 'rest time', I became very sentimental...so, I went to the quiet place in our home, where I keep lots of treasures.

And, this is what I discovered: during seemingly 'searching' times in my life, I've done a really good job of documenting feelings and events in journals. Which is a really good thing, in case I ever want to 'write' something truly meaningful!

Seriously, though, I mustered the courage to read some! A lot of priceless things about parenting are contained in one journal in particular...the first many pages of that book are tied with a gorgeous white ribbon...none of my children should read that portion til they are about 25...they may not even 'get it' til their children are 17-20! It was written at a time when we were celebrating potty-training successes and an engagement ring in the same week with our children! This journal was the one I wrote in 2003. The summer after Randy's mom died, the summer PaPa moved in with us, and the summer I became women's ministry director at our church! Busy times! (...and if you're counting, it was the summer before we lost Macy Jo.)

One morning, in that summer of 2003, I was writing and studying, while the house was quiet, Macy quietly came down the stairs...there was nothing like cuddling her when she'd first wake up. And so this particular morning, she sat on my lap while I finished studying and writing in my journal. But then I did this magical thing...I traced her tiny hands on facing pages in my journal, and then had her sign her name, with her 3 year old scribbles, and then I wrote what we were talking about as we drew and laughed! Such a precious memory and now what a precious treasure for me to keep and 'remember' while I'm still here!

That, my friend, is why I think every moment is important. Time is precious, and, as I found out soon after the hand tracing morning, sometimes moments like that are the 'only' chance we ever get to just enjoy each other!
...so whether we're keeping time,
spending time,
making time
or saving time...
we never, ever should waste it--it won't come back!