Just a Pause

At 71-1/2 years I find myself reflecting. I have seen a lot; but I haven't seen everything...in fact, I am sure there are many things I have no desire to see at all. I have been to a lot places; I have not been everywhere. I have done a lot of things; but I haven't done everything...and I realize there are a lot of things I really would rather not do.

Every place I have been, every word I have thought, spoken or heard, everything I have done or not done, everything I have seen has collaborated to bring me to who, and where, I am today.

I recall entering the base exchange, a vendor was demonstrating some kind of a juicer, and he shouted to me something along the line of "Hey, this is just what you need, it will add years to your life." I looked at him, and asked him "how do you know how long I will live? I have made it through a tour in Vietnam, and recovered from a head-on motor vehicle accident at 85 miles an hour, from which three people died. How can you guarantee your juicer will add years to my life?"

When I realize that my dad's dad died at age 34 when dad was a year and half old; my dad died at 54, dad's mom died at 89, mom died at 93, her mother died at 44 and her dad died at 79, I truly recognize there really is no way to guarantee how long we are going to be walking on this earth.

The Psalmist informs us, that when God put us together in the secret of the womb, He also knew the numbers of our days on earth. There is a bit of an argument going around now and then whether God is male or female. In truth, He is both. God embodies the perfection of male and female. When God said let Us make man in our own image, he meant specifically that man would be both male and female. However, that didn't seem to work out, so, God took the woman from out of the man and made two people. Thus we understand the Biblical injunction that a man and a woman shall come together and become one.

Well, anyway, as I reflect on my life and all it encompasses, I can say without any reservation my life was not worth a plug nickle until the day God confronted me in my apartment, 43 years ago, and accused me of destroying something that He had made beautiful. We had a pretty in depth discussion, and I accepted His offer to be cleaned up and made new. It was as if my life had stopped and was began anew. My fellow Marines didn't understand why I no longer wanted to go bar hopping, or imbibing alcoholic beverages all night. Truth be told, it was really quite nice to wake up the morning and not wonder if I had done anything bad during the previous night; not to mention, my pay check seemed to go a little farther each month.

Well, just a little time spent reminiscing and reminding myself that no matter what may happen in this life, I am in God's hands, and I can't think of a safer place to be.