On Time Gone

Facebook has this nifty little feature that brings up memories from years past. For example, last Friday, August 19, this picture popped up to remind me that on this day three years ago we were having one last fling before school started.

The really interesting part is that this past Monday, August 22, we did the same thing!

 Sadly, I didn't think to take a picture while Isaac was around so I don't have a perfect comparison.

I know I am not alone in marveling over the way time disappears. The end of July marked five years that we've lived in Ohio. It seems impossible to realize that many years have passed by. On the other hand, when I think back to life before Ohio, the ten years we lived in Arkansas seem like another life time ago! Funny how that works.

It's also funny how one little bunny trail of thought leads to another. This whole subject of time and how it marches on brought to mind a poem I remember my mom using on old scrapbook sheets. Mom liked to collect poems and sayings. I can just see the the thin, brown notebook she wrote them in with it's pages full of her fine, even cursive. I'm not sure why I remember this one but it came to mind today --

When as a babe I ate and slept, 
        Time crept.
When as a boy I laughed and talked, 
        Time walked.
When I became a full grown man,
        Time ran.
When older still I daily grew,
        Time flew.
Soon I shall find in passing on,
        Time gone.

That last line makes my mind go round and round.

It kind of makes the tears and struggles of five years ago (or two or ten) seem silly. Time will soon be gone anyway, why bother stressing? We won't always be spending our time keeping the three miles hot between this house and the new one with all the constant working on projects. We won't always be washing paint off our hands and staining trim and picking out flooring and cringing at the bill. Enjoy the moment!

It also makes me realize how important it is to focus on the important things. My children likely won't remember how quickly the spiderwebs reproduced in this house or how full the corners were or how little space there was to maneuver in the bathroom. Now they might, if their mom constantly fusses about it!

Otherwise, they're a lot more likely to remember fondly the house where you could get what you needed from the fridge without getting up from the table. Or the ease of dirty laundry, washer/dryer and all the clothes hanging on hangers in the same room. Or giggling and singing and talking while sleeping four in a room, three on one mattress....

I'm rambling, I know. It's hard to pull the "round and round" of my mind together into one coherant thought.

What I'm trying to say is this - My lens is so small. Through it, I see only today ...or last week or last year... with all it's cares and tears and fears and heartaches. If I'm not careful, the here and now will consume me and I'll fail to see the beautiful picture I could have enjoyed had I accepted a wider lens to look through. Time will be gone.

I'll close with one last reminder thanks to Facebook.

Five years ago yesterday these two headed off to a new school full of new students with new teachers who taught a new curriculum. I remember how hard that was on this Mom's heart. I felt so cruel leaving them there to fend for themselves! But they loved it.

And here we are five years later.

We do not know what tomorrow will hold, but we know Who holds tomorrow.