Ray of Sunshine: When the Time is Right

Like the late-blooming flower, sometimes you have to be patient and wait for the right time. Hang onto hope, hang onto faith, focus on the present moment, and focus on your personal growth. You'll blossom when the time is right.

Blessings for your day and week. Spread sunshine. Be the light.

Give Yourself the Sacred Gift of Time to Be

     I have been writing this blog since October of 2011. I called it Time to Be because during that chapter in my life, I came to understand that I needed time each day for silence, for space, for centering, for reflection and for renewal in order to benefit my well-being. My energies were pretty well depleted at that time because I was still working my way through the profound grief of the passing of my beloved mother, as well as a lengthy recovery from a serious and debilitating illness. 
     The name of my blog came from the writings of my late mother's favorite author and one of mine, as well, Gladys Taber: "We need time to dream, time to remember, and time to reach the infinite, time to be."
     At this time of year as the holidays roll around and our calendars seem to roll out of control with the chaos of myriad seasonal activities, obligations and expenses, I believe that the precious gift of giving ourselves time to be is even more vital. It is in that sacred time and space, I believe, where we can fully experience this season for its beauty, its goodness, its joy and its awe -- not the contrived expectations and rushing around that we've come to identify with December. 
     When we give ourselves the gift of time to be, we give ourselves permission to stop for a while and allow hope and love to envelop us.
     We don't need to succumb to the pressures of racing through a holiday season of decorating, partying, baking, shopping, and merriment magnified. In fact, for many, this isn't a jolly season anyway. Sorrow and loss do not take a holiday, and often our griefs feel more intense at this time of year. If you're in a place of sadness, now is the time to be gentle with yourself. Listen to the wisdom of your inner being and respond with self-kindness.
     The bottom line: Consider carving out sacred time this month to be silent, to let go of your burdens and to breathe in peace. Feel the light and love that are with you today and always. Make time to reach the infinite. Make time to be.

Be watching for a "bonus" December blog post on Friday, December 15 at 4:00 p.m. central time.

Time Marches On

I enjoy receiving a newsletter from our local Aging & Disability Resource Center.  It's always chocked full of helpful hints and useful information.  One article in the latest edition, written by Steven B. Cloud, was about time.  According to Mr. Cloud, as we view the new year, we'll perhaps see it as 12 months or 52 weeks or 365 days.  But we can also see it as 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes or even 31,536,000 seconds.  It's one thing for me to refer to a year or months or weeks or even days, but when I do the math and see next year as hours, minutes or seconds, time takes on an entirely new meaning.  How will I use this precious gift of those hours, minutes and seconds in 2013?  How will I be a good steward of my time, living each moment with intention and gratitude and not squandering it?  As I get older, time marches on more quickly.  All the more reason to make each moment count.

Measuring Change

A friend told me that she heard someone say on public radio recently that time is how we measure change.  For one who is slow to accept change  -- unless I create the change myself, that statement resonated all the way to my roots.  When we measure time, I believe that we truly are measuring the constant evolution of life and its circumstances and consequences.  How else can we quantify and perhaps even make sense or bring meaning to the change that is happening within us and all around us all of the time?  Upon further reflection, how is it that as we grow older, time has a way of slipping by at a faster pace?  It can't just be that change is happening faster.  There must be some element of change in how we perceive time as the years of our lives pass by.  I can remember my dad saying that once the 4th of July had arrived, it wouldn't be long before Labor Day would be here.  As a child, I couldn't conceive what he was talking about, for summer felt endless.  Now that I'm an adult, it's amazing how quickly those endless summer days fly by once the 4th of July arrives!  As I think about time these days, more than ever I need time to be, for it is in those slower, more intentional moments that time becomes a precious commodity and change manageable.

Tick Tock

My good friend Chris recently told me that his son is 14 years old, the very same age that Chris was when I first met him years ago.  As I watch the snow falling outside of my window. I think of how fleeting time is -- how just like the snowflakes, the days (and years) come and then melt away.  As we prepare to close out one year and usher in the next, I find myself reflecting a lot about time.  In fact, I just read a poem this week that began, "What is time?".  Time is a strange thing.  It has different significance depending on where I am in my life.  When I'm at work, my eye is forever on the clock to ensure that I arrive at a meeting or appointment at the designated moment.  When I'm not at work, however, time takes on such a different meaning and pace.  It rarely matters if it's 11AM, 2PM or 7PM.  I'm more in touch with the sky and the seasons and I live more in the moment as part of that life-rhythm calendar.  As we step up the pace of modern life and place demands on ourselves with schedules that are jam-packed with commitments, are we really accomplishing more?  Truly experiencing or enjoying more?  I hardly think so.  I learned during the last months of my mom's life that time is ephemeral.  It isn't about the quantity of our years so much as it is about the quality.  The years will fly by and when I reflect back on them, will I want to see the blur of the race or the precious, discrete moments that brought such profound beauty and joy?  I don't want to hurry anymore.  The time I have been given is a gift and I'm going to savor each moment.  That's my new year's resolution and my wish for us all.