So, I was sorting through some papers that had accumulated on the desk now removed from my room. It's surprising what builds up over a twelvemonth (ok... it's been longer...).
As I sifted through the piles, most of it well out of date and needing to meet the recycling bin, I came across a letter I wrote to a friend. But never got around to sending. Life gets a bit like that.
Still, I decided to read it. Wanted to know what I'd been thinking all those months ago. What I'd thought important enough to write down.
Having settled down to read it, the thick paper rough in my hands, I was glad I did. It reminded me of something I've been forgetting to do recently.
So, I'm going to share it here, because I'm sure I'm not the only one.
"I hope you'll stop a moment to read this letter. I hope you'll take a minute to breathe, to see that in this moment, in this second, you are blessed. This second, you are alive. In this second you breathe in the richness of God's world, you see the glory of His creation.
"I know that the next few months will be busy. know they will be full of goodbyes. I know they will be full of pain. I have been there.
"Time is the most precious of gifts, the most valuable of all commodities. Once it is gone, there is no bringing it back. Yet so many of us allow it to slip through our fingers, letting it run like sand, too busy to see that it is really gold dust.
"In the business of life and the distractions of work, it seems we can not find time to simply be. We long for hours with friends that we may have memories to share forever. Yet this is unattainable, for who has hours to spare? Not I, that's for sure.
"Stop a moment to read this letter. Take a moment to breathe, to see that in this moment, in this second, you are blessed. In this second, you are alive. In this second, you breathe in the richness of God's world, you see the glory of His creation. Enjoy this moment, for you may not get another.
"Forget about chasing after hours. It is meaningless, for when you turn, you find you have run past the hours, through them. Instead, look for the moments. Don't miss the joke your brother tells, or the sound of your friend's laugh. Don't be too busy to miss the sun or the rain. Look for each moment. Treasure every minute. For they are a gift from God. When you look on every moment, every laugh, smile, joke, tear, exchange in the hallway, you'll find He has given you hours.
"Stopping to smell the roses doesn't mean you sit with the roses and ignore the rest of the garden. It just means you don't rush through the garden and miss the colours and the smells. Pause with every moment and think "thank you, God, for now".
"In years to come, how you spent your hours with your friends will be forgotten, but those little moments will still be with you.
"And this is why I wrote a letter, instead of sending a Skype or Facebook message. I wanted you to stop a moment to read this letter. To take a moment to breathe, to see that in this moment, in this second, you are blessed. In this second, you are alive. In this second, you breathe in the richness of God's world, you see the glory of His creation.
"Give over worrying about how you'll spend tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come, and if it does, it will take care of itself. Today is a gift. Tomorrow is just a promise of more.
"With all God's love, LRD"
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