~ A Matter Of Time and Keeping The Moments ~

I hear it.  I feel it.  I see it.
It rushes, it slows, it disappears. 

It births light and shadow.  Day and night.
Sunrise and sunset - every second a new Masterpiece.

It gives. It takes.
It spends.  It exhausts.
It's young, it's old.
It's a first and a last.
Before and after.
It's a race.
There's never enough most days.
It tests patience and long suffering.
It has within it, love etched forever and love lost.

Time.

It is visible right now as I look out my window -
gilded Spring beams of light and shadow, lay planked across emerald blades,
closing the end of day. 

I see it visible in my children's faces who are not so small anymore, as time has grown them up.

Amidst this battle of time - every day - every hour and second ...
I armor self with camera in hand, pen to paper and rely on
synapses to keep the moments forever. 
Thousands of photographs captured - frozen moments of time,
held forever in print,
are kept within albums, books, scrapbooks,
and memory on my computer ...
endless moments.
This is how I keep them.



The moments that fade every second.
The moments that once held small babies, now span into mid-teen years. 
Did I do good with the time I've had with them up until now?  

Still - the moments that at the end of the day, reflecting back I wonder -
where did the time go?
And more important - what did I do with all this time I had today,
beyond the everyday mundane living? Did I do my best with my time given?
Where was my attention during the seconds ticking along? 

This precious commodity within these ticking moments of life breath.




And in time-stress moments, pounding down - knees to the floor, God-time
I remember ...

I am guilty indeed, as conscience pulls at the heartstrings ... family, friends, God. 
I know I can do much better. 
Service.  Love.  Time spent with value and meaning with those around me.

Not more time - but enough time.

In a truly touching book I am reading titled: "Before My Heart Stops" (by Paul Cardall) he quotes:

"The reality is that our time here on earth will not last forever, so every minute is precious. 

Once we gain perspective about our own mortality, realizing that our time is limited,

we have the opportunity to accomplish important things for our family and our community. 

And since we usually do not know how much time we have,

we must work hard today to accomplish those things."

"Every minute is precious."

If only the world could grasp this simple statement. 
If only I really could. 

And when the world is saying otherwise,
pages skin-thin
teach me to "trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart before Him:
God is a refuge."

A refuge. Every minute. 
I re-commit.

"Life is not an emergency. Only amateurs hurry.

Race for more and you'll snag on time and leak empty.

Hurry always empties a soul.

We don't need more time - we just need 'enough' time.

Time to breathe deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give,

rest, give you Glory.

sing joy.

And just enough time in a day to not feel hounded,

pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done - yesterday."

-Ann Voskamp