It strikes me suddenly, viscerally as this photo is taken.
Here we are- my family and 2 of my brothers and their families.
 |
Time glides on relentlessly. It’s both a gift and stiff reminder of a statement we’ve heard so many times, “There is only now.” It’s a mantra, a way of thinking or living. An angle that helps me make sense of things.
- The next time we are here, our son will be finished with high school. Will he be able to join us for vacation next summer?
- Some of our kids’ adult cousins, now living in 3 states, came together through a happy and unusual alignment of schedules. Who knows what the future holds and when this will happen again? So we laugh, hard.
- And most notably, I feel the absence of my sweet sister-in-law Teresa. Wife of one of my brothers, mother to my beautiful and talented nieces, super-aunt to one feisty former- preemie that she adored, among others. She was the reason for the seemingly random teal ovarian cancer ribbon that graced the end of this newsletter for a few weeks this winter, when I was devoid of words for her passing yet had to somehow mark it. She would’ve taken so many photos at this dinner, thoroughly enjoyed this trip.
What a difference a year makes.
Whether you take a formal vacation or enjoy a staycation at home, or even if you’re having a bad week or a glorious one: there is only this moment. There is only now. Life does not offer certainty or constancy save the passing of time.
Enjoy it.
Be grateful for it. (Even those moments with your teenagers. You know the ones.)
Take photos with your mind if not your camera.
BE with people. Notice them. SEE them.
Listen.
Forgive.
Love.
Laugh til you cry. Cry til you laugh.
Let the hot sand under your feet jar you out of your comfortable existence. Whenever possible, stand gazing at the ocean and realize you are both small and grand in the scheme of things, like the one perfect shell that finds its way to your feet.
There’s no way to preserve time. So dive into the moment. Swim around. Experience it – even the uncomfortable parts.
It’s all part of this whirlwind tour that we’re still fortunate to be part of.
That’s the angle I’ve chosen.
What’s yours?
