Mysteries Of Life, Just Talkin' To The Heavens

At what point in your life do you begin to notice the beauty of a sunset or the amazing wonder in the way the clouds and the heavens sometimes dance to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach? What happens to make you content with just hanging out in a beach chair listening to the rhythmic pulse of the waves complimented by the occasional call of the gull as he feeds along the water’s edge? When do we begin to appreciate that life is fleeting, one day here the next day gone and consequently realize that once a day passes and midnight tolls on the next morrow the day immediately past is gone forever?

Where on life’s incredible journey did you and I first realize that life’s not about the breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away? Why do we not begin to see the world through the eyes of our parents and grandparents until long after they have gone? How is it that if a thousand parents from a thousand different towns across America were to make a list of the top twenty things they want their teenagers to know about life that there would be at least 15 of the 20 items identical on every list? And further, why is it that the teenagers of all 1000 parents still tell their parents, “I know, you don’t have to tell me that, I already know that”?

Why do the seconds and the minutes pass so slowly when you are away from somebody that you love, but when you are finally reunited, the days pass like hours? Why is it that when you are sick or in pain, you can’t remember what it felt like to not be sick or pain-free? Why do the hours in our day spent trying to get more stuff outnumber the hours spent being thankful for and enjoying what we already have? Why did we run to the ice cream truck when we were kids, but hope that our own kids don’t hear the ice cream truck coming around the bend? And on a related note, why did we love popsicles when our parents decided whether we could have one and now that it’s our own choice we never buy them for ourselves?


What a blessing it is that nature provides us with beautiful reminders to slow down and think about life every now and then and in doing so reminds us that it really isn’t just about us. Hopefully you can take some time today to reflect on the beauty and wonder of a beach at sunset and the beautiful blue sky that is always there, sometimes God just has to let the clouds clear away in order for you to see it. Many thanks to my friend Sara for the picture here that was taken on Monday evening, January 16, 2012 on Isle of Palms Beach in Charleston, South Carolina.