Thanksgiving Day. I woke up and tried to think of what I was thankful for. Why don't we live like that everyday? Wouldn't each day be better if I had a renewed sense of contentment, a fresh spark of joy in things often taken for granted, appreciation for all those around me that make my live so full. Everyone always says,
"The older you get, the faster time flies!" With each passing year that cliche rings louder in my ears, and I wish for time to slow down. Then logic pops up, invited and impossible to ignore. Well friends, I've decided there is only one way we can combat this flying time. I'm not going to say, "Live every moment to the fullest!", "Make every minute count!" or the ever popular "Live. Laugh. Love.". Pllllease. Those might have made you think the first time you heard them. However, now they are so over-used that hearing them makes your eyes glaze over and your ears cry for something new. Or maybe that's just me. Haha.
Well anyway, I digress. The secret to being okay with the speed of time is to really live. How do you do that? Be at peace with the fact you could die any moment. I'm not saying you need to write your will and say your goodbyes--no. Ask yourself these questions:
Do the people that matter most in my life know that I love them? Does my life have purpose? Am I reaching out to the people around me? [insert your own most important questions here]. What really matters in life is relationships, and I'm not talking about romance here (though that's great too!). Material things, success, power--true joy doesn't come from these things. For me, my purpose comes from God. He is the source of my love for others; thus, the more I know God, the more love I have to give. The more love I have to give, the stronger my relationships with people become. The stronger my relationships with others people, the more joy I have.
Much of this thinking was caused by a book I recently finished titled
Tuesdays with Morrie. It's a true story that inspires some deep thinking. In the book, Morrie (the author's favorite college professor) talks about how our culture today doesn't make people feel good about themselves. If you buy into what American culture is selling, you will never be content. I really don't want to share a lot more about it, because I think you should read it for yourself. Reading about Morrie really made me think about all of the influential teachers I have been blessed with. The kind of subjects that Morrie talked about and how he said things really reminded me of my College Writing I professor, Dr. Fitts. Morrie kept bringing up the importance of community and relationships with the people around you, just like Dr. Fitts did in our writing class. I didn't fully grasp the message then. I think perhaps I needed to be in Honduras--away from my community, close friends, and family--to see how much relationships really matter.
God has blessed me abundantly with such a loving community here in Honduras. When I first came, I couldn't imagine crying when I left in the some distant day that seemed like an eternity away. Now, I'm having a hard time thinking about saying goodbye. This Thanksgiving, I felt more thankful than I ever have before. I baked up five batches of biscuits and as soon as the last one came out of the oven, we headed over to the Brewster's house to have Thanksgiving dinner. They help run a mission that helps women with mental disabilities and teenage mothers. The women and the babies live in a large apartment complex with Emily's parents. They were all joining us, along with our Spanish teacher and her husband, and David. We had around 35 people total. To be honest, when I first heard the number and thought of all the biscuits I would need to bake, I was thinking
'No, this is not the kind of Thanksgiving I had in mind.'
However, God had better things in mind. And there we were, serving up plates, buttering biscuits, pouring drinks when all of a sudden--the lights went out! The room irrupted in chatter, exclamations, and laughter. Within moments half a dozen cell phones came out to light up the room. Before too long, candles were out on the tables and a special kind of cozy glow settled down over the room. After all the plates had been served, we sat down and I had my first actual turkey Thanksgiving. We went around the table and all said what we were thankful for. The dinner ended with adorable little mini personal pan pumpkin pies with a squirt of whip cream on top. Ashley and I made the clean plate club. I never expected to be so full or to feel so thankful. After the dinner, we went outside to take more pictures and visit. Some of the women with special needs were so loving, constantly hugging us and holding our hands. Seeing their smiles and feeling so welcomed by these ladies that had just met me really got to my heart. As Mr. Brewster took us home, I was full of questions (those of you that know me best know how inquisitive I can be). We heard most of the stories of the teenage moms living there. The majority of them are about 14, each with a tragic story of their own.
This Thanksgiving was a lot more than I was anticipating. Getting to interact with the people at the mission really tugged at my heart. I don't have much free time, but I want to visit more often. Not because I think they need me. I want to visit because I think I need to learn from them. Ask yourself your most important questions, time isn't slowing down.
