Thoughts at 75

When you reach 75 you have different things in view than you did at 25.  At least such seems to be the way things are over this way in these days.  I reflect on this reality from time to time as I see two things sitting on my desk which would never have found such a home many years ago.  One is a plaque with some words from a poem written by Byron Herbert Reece.  This stone gift reads, "There never was time for everything."  Some who know about it tell me it is too pessimistic, but I think not.  In some ways it points to the importance of the second desk top message.     

The second word on the desk is a white mug gifted to me some time ago which has two words written boldly in black print.  The two words were given to me in a moment  a few years into retirement.  I was kneeling in the garden doing its work when I heard from within me two words I immediately knew came from God.  ""Pay Attention," He said quietly in my spirit.  The words on the mug stare at me every day and remind me of what is important in the present moment of my life.    

Fifty years ago there seemed to be no end to the unlimited possibilities which stretched out ahead of me.  Nowadays things are seen differently.  The time is marked with the letting go of some of the things I have carried with me for a long time and a realization that the way forward is found in the present moment.  The present moment  is the place from which God offers direction and guidance into a future filled with boundaries imposed by the limited number of years left.  I want to "make the most of the time..."  (Ephesians 5:16) which is done best by paying attention to the present instead of the past or the future.