My Minutes have not been My Minutes....

Wow... November is here!! Where did October go?? Last I wrote my little buddy was starting her new life.. and I spent a few days getting myself together and realizing life as I knew it was going to be different but as with anything.. I would shed a few tears.. have a few "moments" and pick myself up and get on with whatever was next on God's list of "to do's" for me.

So.. on Sept 7th it was Labor Day and the house was full of fun and laughter. The girls called and wanted to invite some of their friends over for a movie day, as we have the big wide screen and the dark basement with the cozy furniture.. it makes for a fun place to come and have a "get a way day". I love to have those days..even though I was still in tons of pain from my back and didn't participate in the viewing just having them near and hearing them laugh and giggle and seeing them as they stopped by ever so often as they were on their way to the bathroom or something it just makes a Mom feel good.

Then came Tuesday Sept 8th. Bright and early we were up and on our way to the hospital for the long awaited surgery to correct the incredible and never ending nerve pain in my lower back. Thrilled that we were getting in before the projected date of November 8th, yet still having all the questions that one has before going in for a major surgery such as that.

Yet.. it all went like clock work, both surgeons were having a good day, as was the anesthesiologist.. always like to make sure of that when they come to give me my "last rights" as I like to call it..because frankly if they've had a bad night's sleep or a miserable Labor day weekend.. I want to make sure to do whatever I can to get them happy before we start with the putting to sleep and the cutting me open part if you now what i mean. Just a personal preference with me I guess! :)

So.. we got through that and the five days after in the hospital.. which I could tell you oh so many incredibly sad and funny stories.. but let's just say I'm saving those for the book my Mother feels I should write someday.. only to get out and home for a day or two and realize that something is just not right. I make a call to the vascular surgeon who took care of the front incision which was the way they chose to get to my back.. and by the next day I was being rushed back in to the hospital only to sit and wait 6 hours for a CT to find that I had developed a huge hematoma! The wait? Oh yeah.. it was due to the fact that they were waiting for the results of my "pregnancy" test.. yes you read it right .. my pregnancy test.. after waiting all that time for a test that I was "rushed" there to have so they could have drained or helped the situation.. I finally found someone to ask what the hold up was and when they told me I had to laugh.. what else could I do.. as I had been interviewed by three different people in order to be admitted back in to a place that I just got discharged from not more than 3 days ago and had to give them the same history that I know was probably in my chart from the other 11 times I've been in there... but let's just say counting the times that day I gave them my past... I had a hysterectomy in 2000!!! What part of that couldn't they get?? Ohhhhh the nurse said when I told her and the big light bulb in the sky went on.... she said really??? to which I'm thinking... who would make this up??

So.. once that got cleared up and I got to drink all the lovely juice it was well after 9:00pm... we'd started this adventure at 11;00am... so for this I say.. my minutes are not my own. Wait till you hear the "rest of the story"!!!

Memorable Minutes....

It's not like I didn't know it was coming.. in fact everyday I had a count down.. and I even thought I was well prepared.. but something happened.. the moment her Dad came to get her for the last time... it was the usual routine.. with the exception of me taking pictures which they all thought was a bit ridiculous.. but I might start scrap booking again :)... they loaded in the car.. I watched them drive down the street.. I waved with the usual sign for "I love you".. we both smiled... I came inside and closed the door and all of a sudden... my heart was in my throat.. my stomach had turned inside out.. the car wasn't taking her to another country.. we'll see her on school holidays.. and on scheduled visits on weekends.. but.. it will never be the same.

For the last 5 and half years Dick and I have cared for our granddaughter as needed when her parents worked. They would drop her off early in the morning in her pj's or her car seat when she was little, or when she and her Mom lived here for a couple of years she would just bound down the hallway when she woke up. She'd crawl in bed with us, we'd fix her toast, she'd eat it in a certain way in a certain spot, give each crust to Max... push the crumbs to Papa's side for him to find later.. then snuggle down with us to watch a movie that she'd thought about and planned on all nite in the later years. In the younger years Papa would have to do a commercial for each one at the end of the bed in order for her to choose.

On Pre K school days last year it was different, she'd eat her breakfast and then brush her teeth, come and get her hair brushed, get her special "Nana kiss" on the back of the neck when it was all done..and a little snuggle..and off she'd go with Papa and Max to school. Tuesday's were different because Papa worked so Nana would take her.. which was special because Nana made "excellent toast" :).

When you're with the ones you love it's not so much what you do it's the fact you're with the ones you love and you know those times are precious and oh so few. I know mothers all over the country are going through the same thing sending their little ones to Kindergarten. It's a right of passage. Pre K was different.. you could take them... drop them off..see their friends each day.. their teacher.. survey the situation.. and you knew you'd be back in 2.5 hours. Then she and Papa would most likely have errands to run with Max.. her playmate. On special days she'd talk her Papa into Mc Donald's and then come home and watch a movie while eating it...he loved every minute of it! He'd always comment on how warm her little hands were while walking in holding hands on those freezing winter days.

Now.. she's going to be off on her own. Not only have she and her Mommy moved across town to live with her Mommy's husband... which is normal and we are happy for them.. but now she's going full time too!! She'll have a step brother to play with, more kids to play with .. all wonderful things.

So.. you see in these short 3 hours I've come to realize I'm not sad for me... though it may sound like that...but rather excited for her new life... and excited for all that she has in front of her. It's just another rite of passage.. I lived through it with my kids.. and I'll live through it with my grand kids. I'm thankfull for all the time that I got to have with her, though my heart hurts now.. I've come to understand that rather than suppress it.. I've learned it's better to set a time aside time to just "go with it".. that's right.. just be sad.. feel the emotions.. remember all the happiness and think about how much I'm going to miss her smile in the morning and how happy she made me on my hardest days. Because then I can go on... to whatever God has for me next... and no matter what no one can take those memories away from me!! :)

Minutes I wish I could erase....

As I sit to write this I struggle to know where to start. When I last wrote our daughter had just been married, our nephew Brad was in a coma.. and here we are a month later and my world is still on a roller coaster. Since that time our daughter has returned from a wonderful 2 week honey moon in Europe, our other daughter had a wonderful trip with her husband to California, Bradley has far surpassed all of the doctor's expectations.. he truly is a miracle even though he still has a long way to go.. yet my heart is broken in so in many ways.

Ten days after the wedding we got many texts and then the final call, my 22 year old nephew who we had just been with at the wedding took his life. He left his girlfriend and his baby who had just turned one... and within two days we were at the funeral which my husband was giving.. and then two days after that it would have been Zach's 23rd birthday. He was such a loving, caring yet tortured soul. No one knew to what extent. We always wanted to help.. but he always wanted to do it on his own.. till one day it just got to be too much.. and now we are left to mourn... the sadness seems to have no end at times.

Thankfully last year Zach had worked up near us on the pipelines so he lived with us for a few weeks and we got to talk and share... I cherish those times. I cherish the memories that we made at the wedding, at my surprise birthday party that they came up for.. he was on the dance floor having such a good time with all of us.. especially Livi and his daughter and girlfriend Katie.. he seemed so happy.. yet beneath all that.. there was a sadness that ran so deep.

I think we all realize that we should never take anything or anyone for granted.. yet how many times do we rush through something to get onto the next thing never thinking what it might mean to someone else ? I have purposed even more in my heart to let God be the director of my time.. I will go when He directs me.. just because I might be "done" somewhere or with someone.. they might not be done ... or He might not be done with what my purpose is there..

It's harder that we think sometimes to give our agenda up for His when it comes to time and lists.. are you willing to try?

Life Changing Minutes....

Wow.. time has passed so quickly.. since I last wrote we have experienced many "life changing minutes".. let's see.. Dick and celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and were treated to a wonderful surprise at the end of a nice dinner.. our terrific kids had called ahead and picked up the bill! Two days after that same said man turned 52... celebrated by moving our daughter's things out of our house and into her new one and then a wonderful dinner with just the family at our older daughter and son in law's. Grown children are such a unique blessing!

Then life really took a turn.. a week ago Sunday we got that phone call that no one wants.. our nephew was in a horrible car accident where his friend passed away and he is still in a life threatening coma... life as you know it stops. Thankfully God has sustained him and the rest of the family and now we continue to pray specifically for major hurdles so that he can come back to us. 5 days later we entered into the wedding mania.. the joy of two wonderful people who have waited and worked so hard to be together..we had the rehearsal and then a beautiful wedding day..all complete with no rain!!! The joy was overwhelming even amongst the heavy hearts of knowing part of us was missing in that hospital room. We took refuge in "rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn".

One day after that we get another one of those calls.. one of our friends and co worker's father was visiting and suffered a fatal heart attack.. right in their home ..life changing minute..

oh.. I forgot.. in the middle of that I saw the much awaited surgeon who told me he still didn't feel "comfortable" doing the surgery on my back.. so more extensive testing will be done in a week.. I wish I could feel comfortable at all !

All that to say... our minutes.. they can change the course of our life with a phone call, a celebration, a doctor's visit...without an anchor.. a steady anchor. I am so thankful that like the old song says.. though I don't know what the future holds I do know Who holds my future!! Along with the One who holds my future I'm blessed to have people who surround me that are willing to row the boat when I'm too weary.. others may want for silver and gold.. but for me this combination is priceless...

Are We Trusting With Our Minutes?

Let's see how many minutes are in 26 years? That's how old my youngest daughter is today.. wow.. I was 24 when I had her.. where does the time go? When the two girls were little and being 17 months apart some days I thought would never end as my husband was gone day and nite trying to make a living during the early 80's. That was when there was a recession like non we'd ever seen, until this one.. and he was a tennis pro..so you can imagine we didn't have much to eat, had one small car and lived in a trailer park, so I was really alone. We moved 3 times over the course of 3 years.. it was not a happy time, yet God chose to give us these two beautiful little girls who didn't have a care in the world, they would look at us with all the faith in the world that every thing would be fine, their needs would be met and all was well with the world.. and for the most part to them it was.

The take away for us? We turned our minds, hearts and spirits back to God because my husband who had been raised in a preacher's home was running from the church but as we all know deep inside you can't run.. where do you really run from the God who created the whole earth anyhow? He'll let you think you're hiding and leave you alone to figure out your own messes for as long as you want but He's there all the time waiting for us to figure out that He is just that, right there, waiting for us to turn back to Him.

It was interesting, after our second baby was born and the bottom kept dropping out over and over again, my husband finally turned back to God and repented and asked for His help...it was amazing.. we had some catch up time.. but once our hearts were turned back and our minds opened He was so faithful. He's no different than any other good parent, all we want is for our children is for them to learn that we know what's best for them when they are young and as they grow we give them more responsibility and therefore they gain more reward. Just like God does with us.

I'm so grateful that both of our girls are serving the Lord faithfully. They were small when we were "finding our way" so thankfully once they were older we were able to teach them the ways of God so that they could be spared some. There are always those life lessons that we all have to learn.. but for the most part I have seen many come and go and those that are following the simple guidelines that are laid out for us.. He provides for in every area, just as we as natural parents do for our children. But.. it's always our choice, no matter how young or old we are. For me and my house..we will trust in the Lord.. how about you?

Recording Minutes...

Today my husband and I are doing something that we've done for each of our children at different times but now have the opportunity to do for our granddaughter. We are taking pictures of her throughout her day... as this is her last week at Pre K. So from waking her up, to picking out her clothes, to eating her toast and walking her to her cubby.. we have at least one picture of each minute. Why? because we'll never have these minutes back again and we know that when she gets older she may not have any clear memories of the many days we did the same thing day after day but if she looks back on the pictures and we talk about it and tell her stories about the different things that happened during different days she'll develop memories as she gets older... which all will go into making up the woman she will become.

The other reason is strictly selfish for Papa and Nana.. after parenting two children and watching the years fly by we love having the pictures to look back on to remind us of our memories. When you are living your life day to day and minute to minute it's easy to get caught up in what seems to be the "routine"... but when it's gone and that season of life has come to an end and the next season comes and then the next and the next.. it's good to have some form of record of those "routine" days to look back on.

I heard something the other day that really rung true to me.. history is only history if someone survives long enough to tell about it.. so today.. though it's not a day in history for the world or even the town.. for this family it has been recorded so that in the years to come what were just "ordinary minutes" all added up to a year in her little life.. we can look back on her size, her friends, the look in her eyes when she walks to the school hand in hand with Papa and Nana and to her cubby.. and we'll know that our minutes mattered!

"Fun Minutes"

Have you ever heard the phrase "time flies when your having fun"? Now we all know rationally that a minute is 60 seconds no matter how you look at it.. but I swear when you spend it with people you love, care about or are otherwise interested in and enjoying it seems as if minutes fly by.. even hours.

I had one of those times today. Since signing up for this new social networking thing called Facebook it's been amazing to me how we have been reunited with people from all parts of our past, people that we grew up with, shared life changing experiences with in various youth groups and family members from every generation.

Today what seemed to be just a few minutes with someone from one of our first youth groups.. and yet in reality it was a couple of hours. Then my daughter and I went to meet with someone to plan something for my other daughter and again.. it was amazing how it seemed as if minutes had passed and yet it was and hour.

So I ask you why do you think that is? Why is it when you sit with the ones you love the hands on the clock move in the fastest motion yet when we sit set out to do a dreaded project it seems as if the day drags on... Happiness is a funny thing. It really does bring forth a chemical in our brains that make us feel good.

Isn't it incredible that we have that wonderful feeling so readily available to us? What I've learned though is that we do have to develop those relationships that make us that happy.. and that takes work.. but it's soooo worth it for the happiness it can bring us and really make "our minutes matter...." for the rest of our lives :)

How "Do" we use our Minutes...

I've been thinking lately.. how many of you were raised like me, thinking that the term "make each minute matter" meant filling each minute with everything possible and then some.. until at the end of the day we could lay our head on our pillows totally exhausted and mentally check off our "to do list" and think "well done good and faithful servant"?

Then I started to think about the way Jesus ran His days.. His take on things was that He did only what the Father did and said only what the Father said.. as I grow to know the Father more, I seriously doubt He was run ragged from morning till night. Not that I'm a believer in laziness either.. I'm well aware of the scriptures that teach us about those that don't work to feed their families. I think that in this day and age we've gone to yet another extreme, especially as woman.

Maybe it's because I've entered the second half of my century, but I've started to make my "to do lists" differently. Instead of making them under a day or week of the calendar, I make them "open ended".. giving God the authority to organize the order and timing that they are done in. I figure if He created the entire universe in six days AND had the seventh day to REST.. he can certainly handle my "to do" list with no problem and I can sleep at night knowing it's in good and capable hands! What a discovery huh?? :)

I know you all have a lot of "pressing" things to do on your Franklin day timers list of things to do, but I think we'd all like to hear how you all feel about the subject and what you've learned through the years.. we can learn through one another!! )

More "Stuff"....

Ok, I've been working on the physical "stuff" that surrounds me and has a negative affect on me.. sufficating.. to be honest.. but as I was clearing away the "things" that surround me my mind started to think about all the other "stuff" that can bog me down or sometimes even suffocate me.

The first thing that comes to mind of course is our every day lives as women, or men, how we juggle the things layed before us and prioritize them. Once we get married and then add children we all know our life and our time is not our own, everyone's needs come into play. When my kids were younger and I had a career job plus helping with my husband's ministry I had this daytimer that I kept. Every day had every hour filled with "something".. most things I thought I had no control over they had to be done.. from the time I hit my feet to the floor in the morning until much too late into the nite...

Three years ago I spent a week in the hospital because my entire adreanal system shut down.. I had too much cortisol in my system.. the stress hormone. I didn't know it at the time but what I have come to learn is our bodies are not made to burn the "candle at both ends".. or our minds. Eventually it does catch up to you.

Thankfully God has given me a second chance and is rebuilding me physically as well as mentally. I'm learning that His priorities are mine and He's more than able to get everything that needs to be done done. I have to make a concious decision just like the physical "stuff" not to clutter my mind and time with the other "stuff" but rather to do only what He is expecting for me to do.. minute by minute...and after a while the days look after themselves! :)

Stuff....

Yep.. spring fever has hit..and I'm trying hard to make my minutes matter.. here's my deal..as we've talked about before, I'm a firm believer that we need to take back control of our lives minute by minute or we'll end up loosing the days and weeks.. eventually years..to all sorts of things..most of all regret and unhappiness.

So, here it is almost the middle of May, and I find myself sufficating in "stuff". For those of you that are old enough I was reminded of the George Carlin skit about "stuff", and how we obtain our "stuff", where does it come from and why.. he really did make something that gets under my skin quite funny, so this morning as I was getting a tension headache over the "stuff" I chose to think about his funny faces that he'd make as he'd go on and on about the "stuff" that over takes us in life.

After I regained my "joy" I took a half hour and cleaned up a few piles in my bedroom, which I will confess kept me up last nite just thinking about them.. okay I'm admitting to the world that I may have a little OCD tendencies :). You'd think that would have settled the inner voices in my head and let me get on with the other pressing things that have to be done today.. which by the way have to do with processing "stuff" at my desk .... but no.. all it did was bring out the greater need to acknowledge all the other little corners in the house where things are lerking.. piles.. of "stuff"..

So.. I began to think of ways to stop the "stuff" for future reference.. I don't really contribute to the "stuff".. I don't like brochures, although there are others in my household who do.. I don't even go out much any more.. but then I looked out the window and saw one of the main culprites.. the mail truck.. the deliverer of the "stuff"! Yes.. I go through it daily and throw out the junk and keep the necessary.. but still there is "stuff".

Then..in comes those that I love.. and what are they bringing with them from the gorcery store and school? "Stuff"... so.. once again I have a choice to make. Unless I decide to live in a vacuum.. there will always be "stuff"...so my choice is to be more deligent in keeping up with it so it does not rob my minutes of joy!! Guess it still comes down to mind over matter.. what do you think??

Mom Minutes....

Last nite I had the pleasure of celebrating Mother's Day with my incredible daughters and the loves of their lives. My oldest daughter.. spoils my other daughter and I because we are the "Moms" as she puts it by fixing us our favorite things for dinner. The men and children do their part as well to fill in so Moms can sit and "be still".

It's always a time I look forward to, and I'm sure any Mom will agree... it doesn't really matter what you are doing with your kids.. even though we had an incredible dinner.. it's what is shared while we are together. Every family unit is a "unique bunch" I believe. Someone can share one word or a look and the rest can break into laughter as the memories of the past will come back to life in an instant. This to me is a gift that I will never take for granted or get tired of!

Being a Mom can be a scary thing. When they put that baby in your arms the first time and you are overwhelmed with the knowledge that there's no turning back.. you're the Mom.. the one everyone looks to that has that invisible instruction book that was delivered along with the child.. but after that feeling of panic passes... and you get to the everyday life of being a "mom".. pretty soon those days turn into years and you look back and wonder where did the time go? Did I do all that I could do?

We all fall short.. but thank God for His grace and love.. and for the understanding of those we love and love us.. I can honestly say being a Mom is the most rewarding thing I will ever do..so here's to our Mom's minutes!!

Mom Minutes...

The other day we were thinking about our own Moms.. very important, no matter how old we are.. our Mom's are an intricate piece of our life long puzzle. Our relationships change through the years as we grow if we let them.

For those of us who are also Moms it brings about a whole other thought process. I can think of some of my "Mom Minutes" like some of them in my 20 hours of labor and swear to you that none of them were only 60 seconds long! When some others were when one would sing a three minute song and I would want those minutes to last forever.. or when the other would dance and those minutes would seem like seconds. It was a matter of my heart and how happiness makes those minutes timeless.

I've come to the conclusion in life that we all have choices. We can choose happiness or we can choose other emotions to rule our lives. I've also come to the conclusion that whenever relationships are involved it takes work to achieve happiness.. because unless you've found a spot on the planet I haven't seen of heard of there will always be disagreements and confrontations in any relationship. The real test of good relationship is how you make it through those bumps in the road not in how you avoid them.

As this is a week that we've set aside to think about our Moms and being a Mom I'd love for you to share some of your thoughts as I know allot of you have some very rich heritage and wisdom that we all could learn from.

"Mom Minutes..."

That's right..we all have them, because we are Moms or due to our own Moms...some are happy, some are sad, but no matter what they are, by the mere definition once you think about a "Mom Minute" our emotions are stirred.

Seeing as how we are coming up on Mother's Day, I wanted to take this time to stop and think about something we all have, a Mom. Which means we have Mom Minutes to remember...and hopefully share.

My Mom and I have had a lot of fun through the years, we had a different relationship due to the family dynamics we were more like friends than parent and child. At times when I was younger this was hard for me but now that I am in that "sandwich generation" as they call it and she is enjoying her second year of marraige to a wonderful man, there's no problem at all..we have a lot of laughs.

The thing I've learned from my Mom is that be faithful in what God gives you and He will replace what the locust have eaten. I am so encouraged by seeing all that God has brought back to her as she has remained steadfast. My Mom has lived through a lot and with a lot and I confess I often asked myself "why?". She never felt released and now I see how God is giving things back to her ten fold.

One of the greatest memories I have of my Mom is when I watch her with my girls. She used to take them for a couple weeks in the summer and a week in February while I was working. The connection she had and has with them was something I'd never seen before... there's a lot to be said for that relationship between grandmother and grandaughters!

Worth Your Three Minutes....

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Are We Wasting Our Minutes?

I really enjoyed what Jen mentioned in her last post regarding what we all deal with in the "weight" department. Body image is such a huge part of our lives.. whether it be too many or too little pounds that we carry or the parts of our body that we obsess over ie: nose, mouth, chins, eyes, thighs, stomachs.... I would hate to think about how many negative minutes we have each spent thinking or talking about our bodies... or is it just me?

There's no question that it is an excellent use of our minutes to use our time wisely and make a place in our day for working out and making better food choices. But.. all too often that's not the case.. we spend too much time obsessing about the body that we think we should have, the clothes that we should be able to fit into, the hair styles that we dream of that would never work on the hair God gave us, and then.. there's the never ending food debate.. should I or shouldn't I.

Makes sense when we read it right? Yet when we are getting ready to pick out an outfit or planning for an event where does our mind go? To what we don't have rather than what we do...

I once had a job where I helped people pick out clothing. It was so rewarding at times. No matter what shape or size the woman were if you put them in clothes that fit and showed off their positive qualities.. something happened to them inside and their inner confidence came out.. and their happiness level climbed rapidly1 It was great! All that had changed was a few outward things but mostly their outlook about themselves. Major transformation.

So..I'm thinking.. now that we're making a move to make our minutes count.. I'm going to use my time to take care of the body God has given me.. not put it down because it may not be exactly what I think I want at this moment. It can always get better, healthier, stronger... but not if I continue to have shame and guilt on the inside for things I don't like. How bout you?

What I learned Yesterday...

Yesterday I was privileged to attend a family gathering which included all 5 generations that my family is blessed to have. I have to admit though as I'm moving up the "ladder" of the generations and getting closer to the top.. the ones ahead of me are in their 80's.. it makes me think. I have such wonderful memories of when we were all much younger and doing such different things at these gatherings but no one escapes the wrath of time.. we all get older and pass into different stages and I've come to find out there's no votes asked for on if you want to "move up"!!

All this to say.. what I came away with is this.. on the ride home and today.. I started to think about how easy it is to think about my Mom, my aunts and uncle and their "legacy" and all of my fond memories of times past.. how certain ones were the ones who took the time to spend with us while others always were busy with their daily lives and while I knew they loved us I really never had that quality time with them to look back on and remember.

I'm sure by now you're on to what the next step of my thinking was.. what is my legacy going be? Whether I have a week or 50 years left.. my minutes have been spent for making imprints in some minds and I think about what will they remember? Will they remember me as being the woman that was so busy filling every minute of every day with "things" so that I felt productive? Or did I spend any quality time doing things that mattered in the long run?

I have vowed to be much wiser with my minutes.. because even though it's not like the cell phone companies and I'm not being billed for them... in another way.. I really am. Based on my choices on how I spend my minutes.. I am writing my history with those I love.. and what do I want my legacy to be? How bout you?

My Minutes Matter....

My Minutes, Your Minutes.. it's the minute part here that matter. Some of us have this feeling in the back of our heads, or maybe the front, that due to our age, position in life, or any other difference that one minute is more important than another. For instance.. does the President of the United States' Minutes "matter" more than yours or mine? I think that we have the misperception that because he is considered one of the most powerful men on the planet that his minutes matter much more than ours, and therefore what difference do ours really make?

Here's what I was "pondering" yesterday as I was hit by this. When I was a little girl, my wise Grandpa who lived to be a very healthy age of 96, and was loved and respected by all used to tell me "take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves". This has never let me down in the finacial world, so I thought about applying the principle to other things in life. If I began to make the conscious choice to steward each and every minute without giving in to worry about things in my future or fret about things in my past, would the hours and days turn out okay too?

Because I have been blessed to talk to people from all walks of life and from every age group I find one thing in common, the teens are wishing they were adults so they could have freedom, the young adults are wishing they could go back so they could escape responsibilities, young parents are wishing the days would end so that nite could come only to find that nite passes oh so quickly only to do it all over again, and the middle age are looking back wondering where the time went and if only they could do it again so they could take the time to enjoy their children and younger years. I find it's one age group that has found the value of the "now" and that's the oldest.. for they realize that they are living in a time frame where their tomorrows are not quarenteed.. but then why is it that any of us at any age think we have that quarentee of time? All we have is this heart beat, or this minute.

So you can see.. I think our minutes matter.. what do you think?