Two days ago my parents brought my 94 yr old Grandmother back to their home after she had in rehab for a little over 6 weeks. She had fallen and broken her hip and shoulder and needed extensive therapy. When she came home she was able to walk with only the assistance of a walker. Yesterday was her 94th birthday and as I spoke to her on the phone last evening one thing that she said struck me. She said that she felt as though things had changed. When I asked her what that meant she stated, "Well, the things that I took for granted before I learned not to now. For that I think I am a better person."
After hearing my Grandma say that I knew that it was supposed to be my next task on this journey. When I reflected about it last night I realized all that I take for granted in my life. I take for granted that I will always have these two hands to type out this journey with, that I will always have the ability to walk, that I will never have to depend on anyone to care for me, and that I will be able to see and hear God's beauty all the time. When we take things for granted we tend to stop being grateful for having them.
Why not be grateful for what we have in our life? I recall that everytime something major has happened, either to someone or something in my life, it tended to be at a time where I was became complacent or took it for granted those people or things would always be there. It was as if I had become to comfortable with life and God chose to shake things up a little bit. (I can't be angry with God...it's my own darn fault!)
Over the course of the next few days I plan on working on this task, separating out and dealing one by one with the things I take for granted. Today I will begin to be aware and make a list of what things or people I take for granted.
As Grandma reminded me last night, "When something bad happens you realize how life is too short." Why not wait until the bad happens....why not change today.
First of all, "Happy 94th to Grandma".
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that we all take for granted is the fact that the sun comes up in the morning. We all love the sunshine and the warm weather, and even welcome the sun when it's cold outside. But the sun is different from all those other things that we take for granted. When I had the tip of my left ring finger pinched off when I was 43, (17 years ago), it shook me up because I was afraid that I would not be able to play my guitar anymore. Or I could be forced to learn how to play guitar left-handed. I called in a specialist to do the surgery, and that guy did a great job on my finger. I did not touch a string for 6 months, but after that I began the long road back, pressing strings with tremendous pain every time. It was a long road back, but I no longer take it for granted that I will always have all my fingers, or both arms, or even both eyes.
Back to the sun. Most everything that we take for granted are things that we can continue on without. It may be a hardship, and it can change our lives, but we must adjust, (when there is no choice), and go on with life. However, do we take the most important thing in our lives for granted? The sun? Someone once used the sun to help me understand what true faith is about. This 85 year-old woman, (and I was only in my late 20's), asked me this question, "Do you believe that the sun will come up in the morning?" I answered, "Of course it will". And she said, "That's Faith". And that's the "Faith" that Jesus was talking about when He said, "Where is your faith?"
Ever since then, I have remembered what that lady said, and I realize that I don't take the sun for granted, but simply have faith that it will always rise in the morning. As long as we believe 100% for sure that our sun will continue to rise, it WILL come up every day because our faith demands it.