Gifts

There are memories on this journey that make a soul feel immortal, timeless and seasoned. The memories stick, fade and change a little bit - or sometimes a lot. Let's face it: some of them aren't worth hanging on to, but the ones that are? Hang on for dear life, because those kinds of memories are life - or what gives meaning to our lives on this journey.

I have a dear friend who has had a rocky road - and maybe a heart as big as I know this friend's to be, is the only kind of heart that can make it through all he's been through. To pass through things that test every cell of your heart, emotions and every other aspect of life, and do so with the strength and grace this guy has done - and continues to do, is many things - not the least of which is inspiring. His message is simple, and he's certainly not the only person who has said this:

 EVERY DAY IS A GIFT.

Indeed. Actually, every fraction of time that makes up a day is also a gift. We walk by most of those, but if you give it some thought, anything and everything can change in a split second - that's all it takes for a gift to be a memory. In this age of all the technological advances, we are drawn further apart and living less in the moment while attempting to reach for something in the future. We're more connected by the convenience of electronic devices than we are as the souls that would do well to realize that we're all connected, we're all in this together.

We need to be more in the moment. We need to appreciate that if we're sitting across a table with family or friends, that moment is worth so much more than a text that we're getting on our phone. I grew up in a time when eating dinner with my family meant that no one took a phone call while we were eating. Look around any restaurant now, or any dinning room table in any home - the odds are that you'll see someone looking at their phone.

For what? What are you doing? Where are you now? When will you be done with whatever it is you're doing? Did you get my text? Why aren't you answering my text? Far too many people don't realize that while they're sitting there across the table from someone, they're sitting in a moment that could very easily not come again - ever. They're not giving the moment its due. Any number of things could prevent this moment from ever happening again, some of those things would fall under very unfortunate circumstances, some could simply be a fork in the road. The experience could be repeated at some point in the future - but that moment is one unique fraction of time, spent by unique individuals. Why have so many of us allowed ourselves to be more connected by electronic devices than we are when we're with someone?

Perhaps our biggest offense is thinking we have time. We don't really. I say that because time does a number of things on this journey: It moves. It stops for nothing, for no one. It never moves backwards - no matter how far we may look backwards. And time levels the playing field. One might think that with all of the technological advances in our lives, we'd be astute enough to focus on the fact that we're all connected and in this together. Yet there are more wars, there's more violence, less compassion, less empathy and we grow further apart. What's really disturbing about this is that we know better - at least we should, by now.

As I reflect on some of my own wonderful memories, I start to sketch out a goal - one that has many offshoots that also need to take root. That goal is to realize that every day, and the fractions of time that make up that day, is indeed a gift. Here are two links that I hope will help in putting that realization into play and appreciate our gifts. Peace, good people, Peace.

http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2013/06/cleveland_music_scene_rallies.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVH72spR