Good morning…
In every life there are mountaintop moments. The birth of a baby and grand graduations. Joyful engagements and fabulous weddings. Quiet “Ah-ha” moments experienced in private and loud celebrations swarming with loved ones. Once in a lifetime trips and breathtaking vistas. (See the photos and reflections taken from the mountaintop of my first trip to Israel, touching “next” seven times to experience all of our blog posts.)
The one thing shared in common by every mountaintop moment is the truth that each one of them passes, undeniably unstoppable. Infants grow to toddlers. Graduates move forward. Engagements morph to weddings. Weddings birth newlyweds. “Ah-ha” moments are processed into ordinary life and loud celebrations turn to silence by dawn. Once in a lifetime trips happen just once and spectacular vistas steal our breath before fading from view.
What are we to do as we descend down from the mountaintop, walking our way back into ordinary life?
We take our time. We catch our balance. We stroll step by step into what is everlasting. Memories. Shared stories. Expanding bonds.
Up in the middle of the night, jet-lagged of course, I savor these quiet moments in the dark alone with God. A multi-colored mug made by our maturing son when he was in high school. Freshly brewed coffee from our own dependable coffee maker. My laptop computer who has become the loyal translator of my heart’s unique beat. And sweet silence with solitude, the creative combo I crave. These are the common elements of my first communion with God since I left home twelve days ago.
What do I love most? The headlights of a mountaintop moment or the fading taillights in my rearview mirror as I settle back into the life that is mine to live, spiced with a little more of God’s gusto.
Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange for the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, for there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think in the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10, MSG).
…Sue…
P.S. If journeying through Israel is a once in a lifetime trip on your own bucket list, please reply to me personally, and I will forward your email onto my husband Steve who will be leading our next adult trip Thursday, March 2nd through Sunday, March 12th, 2023. Steve will contact you directly with details for you to prayerfully consider.
