December. Already. This year has flown by, with the exception of the election. That seemed to last forever. But I’ve noticed that, the older I get, the faster the pages of the calendar flip. Same with the weeks. One work week drags along, then the weekend is gone in fifteen minutes, and you’re faced with another Monday. Ugh. The weirdest thing, for me, is that the days don’t seem to do that. Each and every one of them is still twenty-four hours. Doesn’t matter whether I’m at work or at home, the days are the same. The clock is ticking with its same persistent rhythm. Like the drumbeats in the jungle, when the hero is trying to get away from the savages, the beat keeps on coming.
If Thanksgiving came through like a hurricane, then Christmas might just hit like a tornado. I’m not ready. I seldom am. I’m lucky to have Laura Gail to keep me on track. If I do the lift and tote, she usually does the rest. I’m grateful for her. If it weren’t for her all the grandkids would get five bucks each and some candy. And I’d probably be eating off of a giant old wire spool I found on the side of the road. Yup.
If I had one wish this holiday season, it’d be that things could slow down, just a little bit. Just on the one day that our family gets together. I had all the kids and grands over for Thanksgiving and I don’t think I spent more than five minutes with any one of them. The food was terrific. Seeing them all together was fantastic. I love watching them all interact and fellowship. When everyone was gone I felt as if they had barely gotten there. They have their lives, their families and their timetable that they have to manage, just as I did when I was their age. I’m happy they do, and I’m proud they are doing so well in their lives. I just want the day to last a week. Just one time. Let the week fly by, and the one day we all get together seem to last about a hundred hours.
Time is merciless. It doesn’t care if you’re late, or early. It doesn’t care if you’re ready, or not. It will move forward, with, or without, you. When you’re young, it seems you have all of it you will ever want. When you’re older, you find out that it’s the most important thing: how you use your time. And who you spend it with. I’m going to plan on spending my time wisely this Christmas when we get together. Laughing, crying, arguing, I don’t care. I just want to soak up all the time I can with those in my life that I love. If I could wrap up some time to give them, that’s exactly what I’d do. They’ll have to settle with me sharing the only time I have, because that’s the best gift I can give them.
Hug your people today.
God bless Y’all.
Rolling Stones 