Homebodies - Looking Ahead
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- Published on Saturday, March 17, 2018
Rita Friesen
Neepawa Banner & Press
“It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.” Winston Churchill. It was a week that made me cringe; tasks that needed to be accomplished, things I wanted to get done, and little extras that I had a hankering to do. Each calendar day had a notation, or two. It looked daunting. The inspirational reading for my Monday morning put life into perspective. Really a fancy way of saying – one day at a time!
As I assessed my battle plan for the week I accepted the fact that for some of the items to be done, I could delegate! I was/am not indispensable. Others, friends and family, may be waiting to be included in a volunteer work force. It could happen! Some of the items on my list could wait, and some were a make work project all on there own. Looking too far ahead was limiting my range of vision for the now.
And then a call came. Yet another person that I hold dear is now walking through the valley of the shadow of death. I know that as I age so do my friends. It isn’t always easy to watch. As I age I find more and more folks older than I, have developed a calmer acceptance of death as a part of life. It is a good reminder. When I was young the loss of a neighbour, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, was acceptable. When I was young the loss of a friend was devastating. Now most of my friends are old, like me. Somehow that call, the information it revealed, put my busyness into a whole different light.
It didn’t/doesn’t mean that I stop what I am committed to doing. It doesn’t mean that I don’t find joy in the everyday. In fact, every day becomes more precious, every task now chosen with more forethought. My years in Al Anon hammered in the concept of one day at a time. Like many of the deep truths I hold dear, I still need reminding. For me, it boils down to being present to the now. A gift that a younger than me in years and older than me in wisdom friend has perfected. It never mattered where we paused to exchange thoughts and ideas, I always felt I had his full and undivided attention. No matter what task he was in the midst of or what crisis he was addressing. For that moment I was the one link.
It is good not to live with too many ‘what ifs.’ This week my sister was in an aircraft waiting to leave Nepal and she witnessed the incoming craft crash land and burst into flames. Her flight was seriously delayed, and her daily life continues. We, her friends and family, give heartfelt thanks for her safety, and she calmly assures us that what is meant to be will be. And carries on.
My faith takes it a step deeper – ‘I don’t know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day, for I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.’
