i went to bed last night thinking about the past eleven months and how little there is left to 2013. i thought about how i tend to write a post at the end of each year looking back over the months, the weeks, the days...the memories...remembering with nostalgia the months behind me and looking forward to the clean slate that lies before me with the coming of a new year. what i realized last night is that i have a few short weeks to make something of 2013...and these thoughts kept running through my mind: what will you do with the time left? what will you do to make the most of these next few weeks? what do you want to remember from 2013? what do you want to be remembered for this year?
we spend so much time looking back this time of year. then we spend a few days looking forward to the wide expanse that is the coming year...we make resolutions (well, not me, but many do), we make plans, we discard what we disliked from the past and vow to do better next year, we set goals and get excited for a short time about the future. but, what if we looked at each day, or even each week, with that same level of excitement and commitment to do better, to give more, to live with every bit of life we have within us? what would our lives look like if we did that? what if we didn't wait for the hype of new year's eve to create the life we want? what if we woke up tomorrow and decided to make even one little change?
then i woke up this morning with all the "giving tuesday" stuff all over the news...a day dedicated to helping organizations like the one i work with...a day designed to give people a little nudge to give something back or to pay it forward - to make a difference in someone else's life. honestly, i hadn't thought too much about it. it's all around me. food drives and donations and asking generous people to give so that others can have even the simplest of needs met. i see it everyday - some stories are beautiful and others heartbreaking...some remind me of the pure goodness that is often so hard to see and some make me wonder if everything we do matters at all.
but, then i got a phone call...from a stranger, someone i've never met who knows about our program and wanted to give something to help our families. ten minutes later my door opened and she handed me a check...and i found myself crying in front of a complete stranger. the amount matters none...but it will make a difference to others and that's what matters.
i am again wondering what the next few weeks of 2013 hold...not 2014, but 2013. there's still time to make a difference. time to make a change. time to live a little. time to say the words you've been afraid to say. time to make time for someone. time to be brave. time to create memories. time to love. it's not about the holidays or the gifts or the food or the parties. it's so much more than that. those come and go. it's what's left when all that's over that matters...the people...the time...the memories - from even the most ordinary days. a hand held. a door opened. a look, a glance, a smile. live with purpose, live genuinely...give with no expectations - give love, give time, give a hand...i can guarantee that what you will get back will be much more than anything you could give.
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