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Today was the last day of school in our community.

As I sat in the high school parking lot waiting to pick up my son, the final bell rang and the only way I can describe what happened next was an explosion. Suddenly, the doors blasted open and hundreds of kids burst from that building in joyful celebration.

There were high fives and fist pumps; burst of laughter and excited chatter; the sound of tires pealing as teens with cars sped out of the parking lot, leaving  behind the books and tests and racing toward a summer of freedom.

Why does it just seem like yesterday that that was me?

As I drove my son home, listening to his recitation of what his last day had been like, I thought back to earlier in the week when one of my childhood friends had posted a photo of himself on Facebook.

He stood proudly beside his truck wearing a T-shirt that read: “#1 Grandpa.”

Excuse me…what?

This man was one of my brother’s best friends. He had grown up one street over from us and is four years younger than I am. I had known that he had become a grandfather last year…but there was something about seeing him wearing a shirt announcing that there is now someone on this earth that calls him “Grandpa”  that was jarring to me.

I am now 46 years old and I am okay with that. I have no desire to go back in time and re-live my youth, even if that were possible.

My body has slowed down. As a result of back surgery, there are things I can no longer do.

I am at peace with aging…that is part of life. I make no attempt to forestall the inevitable wrinkles (although I do admit to visiting the salon every six weeks to take care of those ever-increasing gray hairs!). To me, real beauty is not  an unnaturally smooth face of  a woman in her fourth decade or beyond.  I see true beauty in my mother’s face.  Every line tells a story of a life fully lived….that is beautiful.

Yet…even though I am 46, I actually feel like I am still 21. As silly as it sounds, it was only fairly recently that I realized that Doug and I no longer qualified as part of the “young marrieds” at church. 🙂

Am I the only one? Do you feel older or younger than your years?

“Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.”—Unknown

She finds herself alone after three decades of marriage, living in the reality of her husband’s dream without him by her side.

He had held  this dream for as long as she had known him and when the moment arrived for it to come true, she was at his side, ready for a new adventure.

Neither of them could have known that after only two years, illness would take his life.

Her eyes sweep the space around her. I know that she is seeing him in her mind’s eye as he once was…happy, fulfilled, excited about all the possibilities  that each day would hold.

“He really loved this place,” she said quietly, wistfully.

“Is this a picture of your husband?”  I pointed to a large framed photo in the center of the wall…two smiling people, arm in arm. Partners.

She nodded. “Sometimes I look at that picture and yell at him for leaving me.”

“It’s nice to know that he got to experience his dream,” I said. “So many people never get that chance.”

I thought about those words long after she had said goodbye, standing behind the screen door, hand lifted in a small wave.

Two years…730 days.

That is all the time he had to live his dream.

It seems so short.

But isn’t it better than zero?

When this man left this earth, he didn’t leave wondering, “What if?”

He took the risk…and for two years, he knew exactly what it was like to live smack in the center of the dream.

Isn’t it worth it?

What is your dream?

Whatever it is, what can you do today to move toward making it a reality?

The time is now.

“Life passes like a flash of lightning whose blaze barely lasts long enough to see. While the earth and  the sky stand still forever, how swiftly changing time flies across man’s face. O you who sit over your full cup and do not drink, tell me, whom are you still waiting for?”–Hermann Hesse

Last Friday, the sun was finally shining after two solid weeks of rain.

It was glorious.

Julia and I decided to seize the day and fully experience the beauty of now.

We started our day by taking our dog Buddy to the town beach.

We dearly love Buddy…but he is the most neurotic dog we have ever known.

Shortly after I took this photo, before we even made it to the beach, Buddy got sick.

He doesn’t get out much.

The view from the beach is lovely:

Buddy eventually got into the swing of things:

However, when he began to frantically search for some grass to eat, we knew our time at the beach was done. (This is what Buddy does when his stomach is upset). The beach was just too much excitement in one day for him.

He collapsed on the back seat floor, totally wiped out and ready to go home and nap:

He barely moved the rest of the day.

Armed with cameras and a cooler, we headed back out to discover whatever beauty we could find…

After awhile, we decided to eat lunch on a picnic table by the lake…and it was a healthy lunch indeed… 🙂

Life is so precious.

You don’t need a special occasion to enjoy the day.

We simply walked out the front door in search of the beauty all around us..and we found it…along with laughter, sweet time spent together, and the sheer joy of being alive.

Wherever life finds you today, ask the Lord to open your eyes to the wonder that He has placed all around you.

It is there if you have eyes to see.

“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.”—Alexander Woollcott

The status of one of my Facebook friends this morning got me thinking.

She wrote: “I hate rollercoasters. I’m more of a merry-go-round kind of girl.”

In contrast to my friend, I LOVE rollercoasters!

Before I had back surgery in 2005 that made it impossible for me to ever ride one again, I took every opportunity to do so. I loved the slow climb to the top that heightened the anticipation, the sudden, heart-stopping drop, the twists and turns, the feeling of flying through the air. The faster and steeper the rollercoaster was, the more I loved it.

My absolute favorite was Space Mountain at Disney World. I loved that it is completely dark inside except for flashing lights so that when the ride begins, you cannot see where you are going. All you can do is surrender to wherever the ride takes you and try to catch your breath as you enjoy the wild ride.

I find it interesting that while I like the rollercoaster ride at an amusement park, it’s easy to prefer the tame merry-go-round in real life.

It’s predictable. There are no surprises, no sudden jolts or twists.

However…it’s also boring. The scenery never changes. There is no challenge, no thrill, no rush. It is stagnant. It requires no courage.

I have found that a life lived with Jesus is anything but a tame merry-go-round ride.

He is always calling us up higher, inviting us to go deeper, encouraging us to bolder faith.

He said as much when He uttered these transforming, life altering words: “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it in abundance…to the full, til it overflows.” –John 10:10

Right now, I am in a season where I feel like I am riding a rollercoaster in the dark. Everyday is an adventure. I have no idea where the track will take me. There have been many times when I’ve  been scared to death, as well as moments that  have literally taken my breath away.

Yet…I have never been more alive. My senses are heightened. I take nothing for granted. My faith in a fearless, fiery, and joy-filled Savior has been proven genuine and strong. I have never been closer to Him…and like it or not, that kind of intimacy never comes during the easy times.

I have surrendered to the ride, wherever it takes me…because I ultimately know that He is leading me deeper into His heart.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways…body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, “WOO-HOO! What a ride!”

My daughter Julia and I will be one of the billions who will be awakening at 4:00 a.m. to watch the royal wedding on Friday.

I did the same thing thirty years ago when Lady Diana Spencer wed Prince Charles.

I was sixteen years old and I took in every single second, totally captivated by the beautiful princess who was only three years older than I was.

I remember trudging off to my part time job at Meisner’s Pharmacy later that day, lamenting my boring, middle class life compared to Diana’s exciting, glittering existence.

Little did I know what later years would reveal: that Diana was married to a man who was in love with another woman. Despite her beauty, wealth, and glamour, her life was one of sadness, despair, and emptiness.

The grass is never greener, no matter what we think.

This is what I plan to discuss with Julia as we watch:

*Don’t waste your life wishing you had someone else’s.

*Ask God to open your eyes to see all the beauty in your own life.  You are a unique, one-of-a-kind person, the likes of which the world has never before seen…and will never see again. (Ps. 139:1-6)

*Earthly royal blood may not run through your veins…but you are cherished, loved, and adored by the King of Kings (Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 8:38-39).

*The world may not breathlessly watch your every move…but your God sees you and is constantly thinking of you (Genesis 15:13 ; Ps. 139:17-18).

*He celebrates you every single day (Zephaniah 3:17).

*And what is coming one heavenly day for the Christ follower will make all the pageantry of the royal wedding look like an impromptu party in a church basement with paper plates and plastic cups (I Corinthians 2:9).

That being said, we will enjoy the pomp, the glamour, the beauty, the dazzling jewels, the clothes, the tradition. Julia is looking forward to being able to tell her kids that she saw the wedding live, just as I got to see Diana’s.

Here is hoping that William and Kate will have a much happier marriage than Charles and Diana did.

I think they will.