The past two weeks I have been operating on the premise of “What has to be done within the next hour?” Have you had times like that? When you have so many things on your agenda, it’s hard to focus on everything so you just take it an hour at a time?

We’ve spent the day with my father-in-law, who has been experiencing some medical issues; we attended the Celebration of Life (funeral) service for my husband’s cousin, Carol; we attended Emily’s graduation (our granddaughter), and tonight we are attending a very special  wedding anniversary party for our son and daughter-in-law (Brian and Melissa). These events have been scattered up and down the California coast, and we have driven 1300 miles to attend them all.

But it’s not the driving or the time that captures my thoughts today. It’s the events themselves.

A graduation. A wedding anniversary. A Well-Check  visit. A death and Life Celebration Service.

It’s Life’s continuum.

At every one of these events I found myself contemplating life from another point of view.

At my Life Celebration service, what will people say about me? Will there be so many people who want to share good memories of our relationship that there is not time enough for everyone to speak? Will I have left an imprint on the lives of those I love?

Will I age gracefully? When I am old and frail, needing help from others, will I accept that help gratefully? Will I understand my strengths and acknowledge my weaknesses? Will I give up my car keys without a fight, or continue to see myself as a 30-year-old who can do it all, and do it well?

Do I celebrate each wedding anniversary with the same importance as I did the first? Do I stop and take an assessment of my marriage, at least once a year, and continually strive to improve it? Do I look forward with excitement and anticipation of what the next year will bring us, whether that be joy or challenges?

A graduation. As we sat in the audience and watched Emily graduate from 8^th grade, I couldn’t help but think about her future…. All of the choices she has yet to make, all of the exciting things she has yet to experience….That brings a big smile to my face. I look forward to watching her continue to grow and  journey through this thing we call Life.

But experiencing all of these events within such a short period of time makes me contemplate each one in relation to the others. They cause me to look at myself….. to be sure I am approaching not only the big events of my life, but also the normal, simple days with wonder and joy, because as we all know, there are no guarantees in life. If there were, wouldn’t things be much more simple?