We May Never Pass This Way Again

 This morning, I'm thankful for the stirring breeze and the few moments of peace at the beginning of the day. I breathe a silent prayer of gratitude for the gift of life itself..to wake up each morning "on the right side of the dirt", as my father used to say. I resolve to be fully present this day, entering into it with the awareness that this moment in time will never happen again. The lyrics to an old song by Seals and Crofts pop into my mind: "We May Never Pass This Way Again"

Life
So they say
Is but a game and they'd let it slip away
Love
Like the autumn sun
Should be dyin'
But it's only just begun

Like the twilight in the road up ahead
They don't see just where we're goin'
And all the secrets in the universe
Whisper in our ears
All the years will come and go
Take us up
Always up

We may never pass this way again
We may never pass this way again
We may never pass this way again

Dreams
So they say
Are for the fools and they let 'em drift away
Peace
Like the silent dove
Should be flyin'
But it's only just begun...

I thought about how each moment is precious, fresh and new; how each moment will never happen again, so I need to open my eyes, pay attention and not "let it drift away".  It's all too easy to let the minutes, days and years pass by, not really being fully focused on the here and now, not fully appreciating all that we have.

Even when the going is rough (and we all go through challenges and tough times), there is still so much beauty all around us, so much to be thankful for. We can always choose to focus on the shiny side of the coin, rather than the dark side.

My prayer for today is that I, and whoever is reading this, will take a few moments to drink it all in, to keep our eyes open to beauty and wonder and to not miss a thing, because we will never pass this way again.