Years ago Carole King sang “I feel the earth move under my feet.” The other day I was telling a dear friend that there are so many changes taking place in my life and the lives of those around me that I literally feel as though the ground is giving way – – – that it is shifting right under my feet.
We’ve all been there . . . . Imagining ourselves pausing at the top of the palace stairway preparing to descend into the ball . . . . . and everyone – men and women alike – becomes silent, stops dancing and turns to gaze at the shimmering vision (you or me) at the top of the stairway. You may deny it, but every little girl, every young lady, maybe every grown woman, dreams to have her “Cinderella” moment.
Today is the last day we will parent a teenager.
That may bear repeating: Today is the last day we will parent a teenager!
Amazingly, this day has come far more quickly than I would have ever imagined the day my oldest daughter turned the ripe old age of three. Sequentially thereafter, the age of three went by ever so slowly for our other two daughters as well. So how did this day get here almost before we could blink our eyes? How did we traverse the teenage years with our three lovely daughters with fewer (that doesn’t mean there were none) problems, blow-ups, rebellious moments, sarcasm, disrespect, pain and separation than I would have ever dreamed? Truly, by and through the grace of God, with continuous prayer and much time and conversation!
Yes, the preciousness of each day and the uncertainty of life hit close to home for us in Kentucky yesterday. The loss of life, peace and security shattered the hopes, joy, anticipation and comfort of yet another “place” we enter, without a thought, most days. Whether a school, church, mall, gymnasium, amusement park, concert venue, theater – public or private – these are the “places” where we live life. Where we grow and learn, shop, compete, worship and gather to be entertained or merely to enjoy one another’s company. Sometimes those precious days end in sorrow and grief. Most days they don’t. But that is really the basis of the uncertainty of life – we don’t know what each day will hold.
What comes to mind when someone asks you “how are your investments doing these days?” If you have stocks or bonds, mutual funds or IRAs, you might say they are doing pretty well, certainly better than a few years ago.
But do other “investments” come to mind – – – Investments in friends, in family, in relationships in general? How are your spiritual investments going? Are you hoping for a tremendous return when you need it the most?
