Worth a Thousand Words and More

Old man time waits for no one. He comes does his thing and moves on. We are often left wondering about the ‘what ifs’ ,’ the wish I had’ and ‘if I had I known’. For some reason, though we say it, sadly we don’t treasure the moments the way we should. Time and time again we allow the petty, insignificant things to steal the precious moments we are blessed to share. This July past, our graduating class had an amazing meet-up in the ATL. Maybe it’s because we are now 55 and over or maybe we have gotten to understand that tomorrow is not promised – we juiced it like no one else could. We squeezed every bit out of the weekend. These pictures speak loudly and I think they tell how we feel about that connection made at the ‘high school on the hill’ over 45 years ago. A thousand words and more….

We are not afraid of being close – we’ve learned to love and laugh and still photobomb like we were kids. I think I like you all! Somewhere we’ve discovered the art of laughing with and at ourselves. I pray we never lose this.

Life-long friends and then some. That which binds us together has remained true over the decades. We’ve walked through some fiery moments and walked out without ‘the smell of smoke’. Hitched to hips and connected by heart strings. Can you tell?

These pictures are a tell-tale sign that we like each other. No forced moments – we wanted to be there. And so we show up unpretentious with our authentic selves. Gray hair, wrinkles, the added pounds and all. We are in a fight with gravity and that’s okay. Our ability to recall some details are not all the same but the story tellers certainly know how to jog our memory. I think for the most part, we are at peace with the fifties.😊

We lived long enough to be part of the ‘selfies’ generation. Yeyy!! These pictures speaks to the unbridled joy we experience enjoying the spaces we share for these moments in time. The truth be told – we don’t know if and when we’ll be this close again. The fifties have taught us to seize the minutes. Give a hug – give a kiss- give a squeeze. Speak kindly, encourage, support and stay present in heart and mind.

From the outside looking in, one can’t help but see the handiwork of God. He makes no mistakes. I can’t help but think He purposely handpicked us for this – for this season, for this slice of time. Destined to be together!

These are not faces of the perfect ones who have always traveled life in a cruise ship. We represent those who have weathered some storms often navigating troubled seas in a battle ship. Our smiles tell of the power of the overcoming spirit. We have been blessed with ‘bounce-back’ grace. We have learned how to show up and gracefully confront what life may throw at us. Despite the challenges- we remain surefooted. Like a deer, we leap over walls when necessary. As a new dawn rises – we get to do it all over again. May we never lose sight of this blessing

We are among those who get to do it together! We lost one of our own this past week. Sleep in peace our brother! I pray this will be a poignant reminder of the brevity of life and the folly of wasting time on that which doesn’t matter. In light of eternity, choose wisely.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” [Proverbs 27:17]