And Here We Are
It was 2004. My friends and I were running late for graduation rehearsal. One of the teachers stated that if you're late, you have to stay behind and stack chairs once all the students leave. Guess what we had to do? Exactly, but it was worth it. It was one of the last occasions we were in the proximity of each other before parting ways post graduation day. I stayed home to take the SATs before moving to Arkansas for six months. My other friends scattered across the southeast. We learned so much that first year. Fast-forward to 2018. Two of us are married with children, one lives in the mid west and I'm here, working, making plans to go back to school in 2019. One of my friends happens to be my appointed Best Man (wedding in 2020). We recently met up to chat and catch up on life. We haven't done that in a while. While eating sandwiches from Which Wich and eating donuts from Dunkin Donuts, we laughed and shared our personal journeys as thirty-something-year-old men.
Life will go on with or without us pausing. Others will live on or pass away with the wind. What matters is what we do now, while the ones you love are still breathing. You may feel that you've fallen short as a family member or best friend because you haven't made time for each other. Those slots in time will come and go and you have to take it when you can. They're not guaranteed. Nothing is. We make all these plans only to find out that's not what God intended for us. It gets frustrating, especially when you don't get what you want. We become adult children having to put aside our frustration and be responsible. Sitting down with a friend for a few hours, whether over a cup of coffee or the best food in town, is always helpful for your personal wellness. We go to church to receive refills because the content of our cups decrease throughout the week. Being kind and faithful can be physically and mentally taxing, draining the spirit, causing you to seek other means of resources. We both needed a refill yesterday because our cups were filling up with other things other than our friendship. It's because of talks like yesterday that our relationship has evolved into a brotherhood.
You grow a lot in all directions...like a tree. That's why it's imperative our parents plant good seeds. The fruits will show as we transform into what God has created us to be. One word my friend mentioned that really caught my attention was becoming. God, to reiterate his statement, is more interested in who we are going to be opposed to where we are now. This allows Him to be in a perpetual state of understanding and patience. No human parent can ever do what He does so well. How undeserving we are, considering how often we refuse to make time for Him who loves us more than anyone ever will, even our spouses. We're not the best men to mimic or admire, considering our past and current setbacks, but God sees us at our best...and always will. If he decides that we are to accept a task, then no man can denounce His decision. Meeting up yesterday was our way of reminding each other that we are where we need to be. Sometimes, as a society, we are eager to be there and not here, wherever that is. Here...is where there begins.
Take time for everything and everyone that matters. Recycle memories and make new ones. We will be held accountable for our children, work duties, and the development of our communities, but we must build our relationships. You never think of how quickly you get here as children. As a kid, you focus on what's in front of you, taking advantage with the assumption that now will always be now. That is until it becomes later...and here we are in December of 2018. I'll be 34 next year and a few months away from being married. My Best Man and I will be laughing about the plans we made opposed to the actuality that will be presented to us. Maybe we'll grab a few sandwiches and more sweets or attend a Lakers game. Who knows. This is where we are and where we must be.
Life will go on with or without us pausing. Others will live on or pass away with the wind. What matters is what we do now, while the ones you love are still breathing. You may feel that you've fallen short as a family member or best friend because you haven't made time for each other. Those slots in time will come and go and you have to take it when you can. They're not guaranteed. Nothing is. We make all these plans only to find out that's not what God intended for us. It gets frustrating, especially when you don't get what you want. We become adult children having to put aside our frustration and be responsible. Sitting down with a friend for a few hours, whether over a cup of coffee or the best food in town, is always helpful for your personal wellness. We go to church to receive refills because the content of our cups decrease throughout the week. Being kind and faithful can be physically and mentally taxing, draining the spirit, causing you to seek other means of resources. We both needed a refill yesterday because our cups were filling up with other things other than our friendship. It's because of talks like yesterday that our relationship has evolved into a brotherhood.
You grow a lot in all directions...like a tree. That's why it's imperative our parents plant good seeds. The fruits will show as we transform into what God has created us to be. One word my friend mentioned that really caught my attention was becoming. God, to reiterate his statement, is more interested in who we are going to be opposed to where we are now. This allows Him to be in a perpetual state of understanding and patience. No human parent can ever do what He does so well. How undeserving we are, considering how often we refuse to make time for Him who loves us more than anyone ever will, even our spouses. We're not the best men to mimic or admire, considering our past and current setbacks, but God sees us at our best...and always will. If he decides that we are to accept a task, then no man can denounce His decision. Meeting up yesterday was our way of reminding each other that we are where we need to be. Sometimes, as a society, we are eager to be there and not here, wherever that is. Here...is where there begins.
Take time for everything and everyone that matters. Recycle memories and make new ones. We will be held accountable for our children, work duties, and the development of our communities, but we must build our relationships. You never think of how quickly you get here as children. As a kid, you focus on what's in front of you, taking advantage with the assumption that now will always be now. That is until it becomes later...and here we are in December of 2018. I'll be 34 next year and a few months away from being married. My Best Man and I will be laughing about the plans we made opposed to the actuality that will be presented to us. Maybe we'll grab a few sandwiches and more sweets or attend a Lakers game. Who knows. This is where we are and where we must be.
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