How Are the Changing Times Changing You?
“To become free of the tyranny of time, become interested in the present.”
– Jack Kornfield
The movement across the room catches my eye. I’m sitting in the rocking chair in my living room. I glance up to catch one picture morphing into the next picture on my digital picture frame that sits on the bookshelf.
In the first picture, I see a younger me with my youngest grandchild as an infant. I remember exactly how I felt looking into his baby eyes. That overwhelm of love. Of awe. Of time standing still.
But in the second picture, almost two years has elapsed.
We’re now at his 2nd birthday party, watching him walk around with his little friends in the park. No longer a baby, he now has opinions and preferences (anything with wheels) and agency.
And the same infectious personality that still brings us such joy.
I notice the astonishment rise in my heart as I look at him then and as I look at him now.
Yet I also feel a sense of almost panic. I’m running out of time.
While I get to see this little one grow, there are many people in my life that I don’t get to see on a regular basis. They are growing too.
And I know I’m missing out.
I need time to stand still so I can make the rounds to see all the people I want to see today. I don’t want more weeks, months, years, to pass by before I see them again.
I’m missing events with certain loved ones that will never be repeated. I’m losing the buildup of memories with them that would have brought me joy in the present and in the future.
But time won’t freeze for me. Nor will it expand to allow me to do all the things I want to do with these limited minutes.
I have to accept these limitations of living in a human body, able to be present in only one place at a time, doing only one thing at a time.
I grieve the loss of people I can’t be with all the time, even as I give thanks for the people I can be with now.
The flow of time is fixed. But people are fluid, always changing, always in flux through the medium of time.
I’m working toward acceptance of our anchored lives here. We all have limitations of things we can do and places we can be, with the time and bodies we have.
I renew my intention to purposefully engage the time I’m in. Sometimes it means using present time to look back at times past, like the photos are showing me. And sometimes it means using a bit more of present time to plan for future times, like a family vacation ahead.
But most of the time, it’s the impermanence of this present moment that I need to be most captivated by.
While I may have more days to sit in this same chair in this same room and even to look at these same photos in the frame, I won’t be exactly the same person tomorrow as I am today.
Time is changing me, too.
The memory verse of the week for our Summer Memory Challenge is Matthew 6:27.
“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
I hear Jesus telling me again and again through these words that I can’t add time to my life. But I can add life to my time.
What’s your struggle with time as a human? Any solutions? Share in the comments.
So well articulated and I would add the older we get the more wrestling we do with time. How did I get to be this age? I can’t believe our youngest grandchild just graduated from high school. My faithful SUV has 170,000 miles on it. the list goes on and on and always reminds me to savor the present and make the most of it as it is the only thing I have right now. None of us knows what course our lives will take tomorrow or in the next minute.
Your words are full of meaning and reflection for us all. (Your grandson is also quite adorable!)
I love seeing photos of how my grands have grown through the years, even if it makes me feel nostalgic, and longing for those days when they lived close by. To reunite now takes lots of planning and time spent in travel to be with them. We hope we can do this in August this year.
The passing of time does, and will, change us. May we accept those changes gracefully.
Blessings, Lisa!
This is so good, Lisa! You articulated exactly how I’ve been feeling. I don’t want to miss out on anything, but at the same time, I find the days slipping away. I am definitely changing and want to see my grandbabies grow up. Thank you for your words today.
Praying, friend…
Lisa, this post makes me think. I used to always be planning for future possibilities at the expense of being fully present. Since God revealed that a few years ago, I’m learning how to refocus on the present moment when my mind tries to spin forward to solve upcoming problems or plan for possible scenarios. It takes a lot of intentional effort to stay present. I am also trying to build memories with those I love as our family moves into some big transitions.
This especially resonates with me – “I have to accept these limitations of living in a human body, able to be present in only one place at a time, doing only one thing at a time.
I grieve the loss of people I can’t be with all the time, even as I give thanks for the people I can be with now.” Thank you for reminding me of this and for encouraging my heart to accept what I cannot change. Love and blessings to you!
Lisa, thank you for your thought provoking post. I am feeling the time to and wanting to embrace every moment. I love, “I hear Jesus telling me again and again through these words that I can’t add time to my life. But I can add life to my time.”
This is a great post, Lisa! I agree, time seems to be flying sometimes and it is strange to think there are so many moments that we can never recapture. I like your final statement that “I can’t add time to my life, but I can add life to my time.” Very thought-provoking!
“I hear Jesus telling me again and again through these words that I can’t add time to my life. But I can add life to my time.” Lisa, it is amazing how the older we get, the more we come to value time and people. This was a most thought provoking post!
Interesting reflection. Makes me value and think about those who live nearby that I haven’t taken the time to visit nor talk with. I just had coffee with one of them last week – such a joy and so fascinating to hear about her journey. Thank you for the continual encouragement to connect.
dear Lisa, you’ve packed a whole lot of truth in each and every line. the older i get, the quicker time seems to flow, the more memories i want to make, the more valuable time seems to be.
especially with that next generations.
thanks for the reminder to focus our limited time and energy on what matters most. i’m trying. and i appreciate the way you’ve led me there this evening, friend.
We have a large family so I think frequently of the people we don’t get to see as often. Like you, I’m thankful for the ones who are closer and treasure our time with them but there are others that I see mostly in photos. One of our great-granddaughters turned two just recently and it made me realize how long it has been since we have seen her in person. I like how you ended, “I can’t add time to my life. But I can add life to my time.” It makes me think about being more purposeful to at least facetime or call more often.
Wow. Deep thoughts here. I’ll be thinking on this today.
Lisa: Time HAS changed me. I am no longer a worrisome woman. I have learned to rely upon the Lord as he has brought me through two “major” illnesses” during COVID. God has been GOOD to us in our family.
So beautifully spoken Lisa. I treasure your thoughts here.
visiting today from G&T
Lisa, you are so good at making us think! Thank you for these reflections, especially the idea of making peace with being “anchored.” And that final statement—the idea of adding life to my time even as I can’t add time to my life—wow!
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
Lisa,
I’ve been thinking about time slipping away and was just talking about it with my son yesterday. Love the precious photos you’ve shared!
I’ll be linking this with tomorrow’s G&T.
Blessings to you, friend.
Tammy
Beautifully said. I love how the photos are what bring back the moments to you. I think photos are such a gift. I think the reason we–generally speaking–have so much time in life is to give us opportunities to change. It seems like life does go by quickly, but at the same time, we can see how we develop over a lifetime. I love how God gives us a lot of chances to figure things out. 🙂 Visiting from Grace at Home.