Over the past few days, I have had the privilege of spending time with some dear relatives of mine. I knew of them as I was growing up but was never very close to them. At the ages of 92 and 94, I find myself sitting on their living room couch listening to stories of train robbers, lessons on cussin’, gardening tips, and other fascinating tales about my family. It’s moments like these I want to bottle up and save because I know that in a blink of an eye…they will be gone.
When I arrive, I find Eula in her usual spot in the little sun room. She is no longer able to walk so she sits in her lift recliner, newspaper and coffee handy, and enjoys the birds outside her window. On this particular day, I notice that she must be feeling a little bit fancy as I see a bottle of pink nail polish on her walker and a bright pink flower in her hair.
She always has a little sass when she speaks, especially when she’s wanting to know what her husband is doing in the kitchen and ‘what all that noise is‘. And he is always up to something. At 94, Bob Frank doesn’t stay put for long. He finds little projects around the house or brings out his tool box and starts making something right in the middle of the kitchen.
Bob Frank loves to garden. He starts his seedlings of peppers and tomatoes inside before he plants them. Eula doesn’t want them in the sun room (he says the best light is in there) because they will take up too much room. So he compromises and puts them in the dining area outside the kitchen. But he lets her know from time to time how much better they would be in the sun room.
My mom and I transfer Eula to her next adventure…which is to the living room where she will watch Gunsmoke and Andy Griffith with Bob Frank and discuss who did what and maybe make a phone call to their children. Today, Eula reminds Bob Frank that she wants a birthday party soon so he’d better get to planning it.
Along their walls in their house are numerous pictures…children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They both speak of their family with joy and pride and from what I can tell, their family does the same of them. On Easter, Eula told me that there were at least 32 people squeezed into their little house…and she enjoyed every minute of it.
They may not be able to get out and ‘run the roads’ like they used to but their life is full. They have both lived Godly lives and instilled that in their children. And their love has trickled down to everyone around them. They do not argue (just a little fussin’ about the plants from time to time) and they enjoy each others company like they were newly weds. They do not moan and groan about what they CAN’T do but make the most of what they CAN do.
Being around them has gotten me focused on the brevity of life. They have been here nearly a 100 years by the grace of God but I know that that could change at any moment. So how am I spending my ‘moments‘?
“yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”-James 4:14
Am I spending all my time focused on me?
Am I investing in other people?
Am I being consumed with all of the little nuisances of life that I forget to look at the big picture?
Am I holding onto pride?
Am I walking where Jesus wants me to go or am I wandering without purpose?
I just learned yesterday that a former classmate of mine lost her father. He was full of life and loved his family and in a moment…he was gone.
We have no set time here on this Earth. Maybe the above questions got you thinking about your own life. I hope it does.
I encourage you to look beyond yourself while you have the time.
Before the Sun comes out and the mist evaporates into thin air.
Chasing Light 