I recall as a child hearing
adults frequently say, “Time goes by faster the older you get.” At the time it seemed such a ridiculous idea.
I thought, “How could time speed up as you get older?” After all time is time and it is not
dependent on one’s age, right? However,
as I have gotten older, I have begun to understand. I am sure I have even
uttered those words myself a time or two, God forbid.
Really, how could it possibly be Christmas
already and a New Year right around the corner?
Didn’t we just take down the Christmas tree and put all the decorations
back in storage? Maybe time does
speed up as we get older.
Of course, I realize that time
does not speed up. Instead, I think it is that we speed up in order to keep
pace with our lives. We are constantly racing around trying to beat the clock,
but it often seems that the clock wins. We fill our days and weeks with so many
things to do that there seems to not be enough
time to get it all done.
As we go about our holiday
activities, I would like to suggest that we remember that the most meaningful gift
we can give to another, or to ourselves, is the gift of time – the present of
presence. We can give ourselves permission to stop the activities and set aside
a few minutes to connect with the beautiful, unique and wondrous expression of
the Divine that each of us is. The Christmas story tells us that the wise men
and the shepherds came to honor the infant Jesus. You, too, are worthy of that
kind of honor and appreciation.
Likewise, you are the best gift that you can give another. A gift of your
time is more valuable than anything you can possibly purchase. It is a gift
more precious than frankincense, gold or myrrh. The gift of your presence is
timeless and priceless.
We can’t stop time. We can’t even
make it slow down. However, we can see it as a gift that we can give away. Perhaps
then rather than saying, “Time goes by faster as you get older,” we will choose
to say, “Time is more precious to me as I get older, and I choose to joyously
receive and share the gift of every moment.”
Happy Holy Days!
Happy Holy Days to you today and every day of your life.
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