Another beautiful day with blue skies and lots of bird songs. Got hot, too. Hate to complain of the heat this early in the season but the sun ran me out of both swings and into a chair that was in the shade. Had to move Penelope’s pen in the shade, too, ‘cause she worked up a panting sweat barking like a rabid dog at the UPS truck. The morning is full of March winds and the wind chimes are singing in tune with the birds’ chirpings. I’m thinking how peaceful the day is when suddenly a jet black crow breaks up the melodies with his raucous crowing as he flies around the yard with three of his cawing friends. Now the train whistle is blowing to mark a magical crescendo in the yard symphony. Mother Nature’s wind baton is directing the orchestra today and it’s playing loudly. The bamboo forest is dancing to the wind’s beat.

Haven’t thought about what to ponder on today. Maybe I should write on the big question, “What is the meaning of life?” This just popped up in my thoughts when I sat down to start composing my blog. Maybe I should add a word, “What is the meaning of our life?” I’m sure Chief would answer that we should be good stewards of God’s earth. He believed in taking care of the earth and its resources. He’d recycle everything saying he didn’t want his grandchildren to live in a polluted world.

I had never seen a piece of trash in the ocean till several years ago in Hilton Head, South Carolina where I saw plastic canned drink rings, a cigarette package, some candy wrappers, and other random trash floating in the shallow water near the beach. Seeing the pollution really depressed me thinking how easy it would be to just throw the trash away in a trash can instead of chunking it in the ocean. I’ve never even thrown a chewing gum wrapper out a car window much less thrown some trash in the ocean. Don’t understand that behavior, laziness I guess. An estimated 11 to 12 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, which is roughly equivalent to dumping two garbage trucks full of plastic into the ocean every minute. I can’t fathom that depressing fact and it’s killing our oceans. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating around in the North Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii, is twice the size of Texas. I just wonder what happens when the earth’s oceans are covered in trash. Guess we’ll soon find out.

Just as being good stewards of the earth, we also have to be good stewards of each other. I think the impact we have on the lives of others plays a part in our life’s purpose. I don’t think we are here to just exist. Everyone deserves and has a need for affection and compassion and kindness on their journey through life. Maybe happiness is the purpose of life. Maybe it’s being successful. Maybe it’s family. Maybe it’s making connections with others and enjoying our friendships. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

Our purpose is to love God and lead others to him through our love for them. We make a difference in the world by living a life of love and compassion. Through our faith we establish a set of values and beliefs that guide our decisions and give meaning to our lives. Ephesians 2:10 reads, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I think we find the meaning of life and our spiritual purpose in life when we build relationships by serving others, contributing to something besides our own needs.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association writes “we can live out God’s purpose by prayer, seeking his will in decisions; by serving others; by studying scripture; by sharing our faith, telling others about God; and by stewardship, taking care of the world and living with love.”

Our faith in a loving God gives our life meaning and purpose.

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” — Robert Byrne