DICHOTOMIES

 

Before we left on our summer trip it was important for Deborah and me

to get together and spend some time with our friends and family.

And…as the love, the laughter, and the conversations overflowed with ease

in every case I was struck by one of life’s dichotomies:

Have you ever had those moments of joy experienced with family and friends…

when life, in that moment, seems so perfect you don’t want it to end?

Conversely, have you ever had moments of sorrow experienced with family and friends 

when life, in that moment, seems so sad and painful you can’t wait for it to end?

This is the dichotomy of time…how it is impossible to master…

how we wish some moments would linger longer…

while others would fly by a whole lot faster.

One moment we’re looking at our young face in the mirror with a smile

And the next we’re looking at some old person with a groan.

One minute our children are young and little 

and the next they’re fully grown.

It makes you realize how each moment is precious…

and…whether hoping that moment will linger 

or that it will quickly end…

how each moment is made more precious when spent with family and friends.

Which is why as long as the mastery of time remains one of life’s great mysteries…

I hope you’ll always find me surrounded by family and friends

searching for any joy I can

in the midst of her dichotomies.