Still with the grandchildren so from my archives in 2023…

Did porch pondering on the porch swing today and it was so marvelous. The sky was light blue, cloudless I thought, till I leaned back in the swing and realized Father Sky had lightly stroked his white pastel all over the sky canvas. The clouds were as thin as a gossiper veil on a blushing bride. I think he and Mother Nature had a wedding on their mind as they prepared the pageant of sunset.

The sun was a bright beam of silver light as she took Father Sky’s arm to be escorted down the horizon’s sunset stage. As her first foot touched the horizon, the clouds gathered and joined her on stage dressed in formal bridesmaids’ gowns in rainbow pastel shades of pink, turquoise, and lavender. Their dresses fanned out across the horizon like the brush strokes of Mother Nature’s watercolor brushes, coloring the twilight in wondrous pastel color that was pulled and stretched across the horizon like rainbow taffy. Father Sky kissed the sun goodnight, turned out the day’s light, and hurriedly pinned the stars on the sky canvas. Mr. Waxing Gibbous Moon beat the stars to the black velvet sky stage by waking up early. He managed to almost dress himself fully. Father Sky reprimanded the moon and told him he better be fully dressed for the pageant of nighttime by Saturday night. The stars twinkled with laughter and glimmered with mirth. The night was awakened, the sun was tucked in tightly in her rainbow taffy quilted clouds.

Read this quote a while back and typed it in my iPad for a later blog. Been thinking about it off and on for a few days. “The main thing is to be moved, to love, to hope, to tremble, to live,” Auguste Rodin. I think this is a short definition of a life well lived. We all live in the world but do we really live and experience all life has to offer. The Lord has given us so many ways to express ourselves and so many gifts to share with the world. Experiencing emotions is both wonderful and frightening. We can tremble with fear or tremble with anticipation. We can hope and with faith in God we are assured tomorrow will come. Trusting God results in a peaceful and joyous life, giving us the assurance that we’ll be reunited with our loved ones in the glorious heavens.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away,” George Carlin. We measure our life by the many moments that “take our breath away.” These days are exciting times in our lives. Sometimes we’re surprised by these moments, sometimes we’re saddened by these moments. I’ve been trying to think of something that took my breath away. Lots of those moments are wrapped up memories of me and Chief and our children. I’ve had my breath taken away by the passion of love and by the pain of tragedy. The first time I heard my first child say mama was a breath taking movement. A beautiful sunrise and sunset can take my breath away. When I saw a perfect angel feather cloud, huge in the sky, that took my breath away, and in awe I stood there with my mouth open.

I’ve said this many times but life really is fleeting and if we don’t slow down and take time to “smell the roses,” the roses will be on a bouquet on top of our coffin. These moments that take our breath away don’t come frequently. And we miss them in the fast paced turning of the Earth’s axis. We work, work, work, to take care of our families, dreaming of retirement, of slow days traveling, playing golf, turkey hunting, visiting the grandchildren.… When we get to this point of retirement in our of life, the children are grown and gone and now busy with their lives. We’ve sacrificed so many moments with our families as we worshipped the almighty dollar trying to provide everything for our families when all they really need or wanted was our undivided attention and our love.

I think that’s all us old folks want, undivided attention and love from our grown children and grandchildren, to be validated as a member of their families, participating in their lives and the lives of their children. My children and grandchildren always make me feel a part of their lives and they love me unconditionally. When they all call me Patty, it takes my breath away.

Our being on earth has a purpose, not to seek happiness or pleasure but to live a life in Christ’s image. I think we find meaning in our life when we serve humanity, when we let kindness and love lead the way we travel on Earth. Let’s live a life of service to our fellow man. Let’s be moved, let’s love deeply, let’s hope of future days, and let’s tremble with anticipation. Let’s live our lives faithfully!

“Sometimes it’s the same moments that take your breath away that breathe purpose and love back into your life.” ― Steve Maraboli,