Monday Morning Rambles

What is time? The shadow on the dial, the striking of the clock,
the running of the sand, day and night, summer and winter, months,
years, centuries--these are but arbitrary and outward signs,
the measure of Time, not Time itself. Time is the Life of the Soul.

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow--

Here it is again.  Another Monday....and a cold one, to boot. It was in the twenties when I left, but felt more like it was in the teens what with the wind chill.  Thought Spring was here.  The poor forsythia that just started to bloom is looking like it is already fading away.  Another week of work to look forward to.  Another 35 hours before I can kick off my shoes and say, 'Job well done; now take some time for you.'  Weekends pass by so quickly, even when we try to squeeze in an extra day. Somehow it just never seems to be long enough.  There never seems to be enough precious time.

I never really much thought much about time before, not when I was younger.  Days passed by, and I never gave them much of a thought.  I had an eternity of time ahead of me.  But now, as I grow older, I realize how quickly  life passes us by, and, until we find ourselves confronted with our own mortality,  most of us don't take the time to appreciate the great gift that we have been given.  This past week I grew another year older, and instead of mourning the youth I left behind, I, instead, celebrated and allowed myself to feel the joy and love that surrounded me. I allowed myself to feel, and the memory of that day will be with me always. 

Time is priceless and fluid.  It never stops to rest, never hesitates, and never looks backward.  It is a gift we were given on the day of our birth, and once it passes, we remain with our memories, but we can never get that time back. Birthdays always make me think of my mother, and oh, how I would treasure just one more moment with her, to put my arms around her and let her know that all is forgiven and to let her see that I have not lived a wasted life...but I am sure she somehow knows.   I like to think that she is finally proud of the woman I have become. 

No matter how hard we may try, we cannot stop the hands of time on the clock of life.  Each yesterday is beyond our control, and we cannot undo or redo a single act or erase a single word we may have said. That is why it is so important now for to love yourself, your soul mate, your family, and, yes, even your work, and  realise that each one has value. Take the time to pause and wonder at  the things you see today.  And take the time to say an "I love you," "I'm sorry", or "I forgive you" that may you forgot to say so that one day you may have no regrets.

Pardon one another so that later
on you will not remember the injury.
The recollection of an injury is in itself wrong. It adds
to our anger, nurtures our sin, and hates
what is good. It is a rusty
arrow and poison for the soul.

Francis of Paola