“For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.  The days of our lives …are soon gone, and we fly away.”   Psalm 90:4, 10

Permit me to reminisce for a few moments.   In March 1993 there was an enormous, airport-closing blizzard which delayed our much-anticipated trip to Bolivia to pick up our infant son Daniel. After many delays, frantic phone calls, and fervent prayers, Roger and I landed in warm, sunny Cochabamba and embarked on a life-changing journey.  The details are still fresh in my mind and in many ways it seems like it was just yesterday; it is hard to believe that our beloved son will graduate from college on May 17^th.

These are the markers of our lives – birth, death, baptism, wedding, birthdays, graduations – all those special occasions remind us of the passage of time and the preciousness of life, love, and relationships. This congregation has been part of our journey.  Before we departed for Bolivia there was a marvelous baby shower for us in fellowship hall.  When we returned, many of you met Dan even before his grandparents did.  He was baptized here. When I was a nervous young mother, he would be quietly passed from one set of loving arms to another while I led worship, preached, and chatted during coffee hour. It was a gift to know that he was well cared for by his church family.  We have pictures of him in the Christmas pageant (making the requisite transition over the years from sheep to shepherd to King Herod), riding his decorated bike at the Jamboree, singing in his blue RSCM robe, dressed up in a tie and jacket for confirmation, and singing with the men’s chorus on Palm Sunday.

Passages. Days, weeks, months, and even years slipping away. Children growing up and adults growing older. All of us are left shaking our heads and wondering, “Where has the time gone?”

Time does fly by and we seem in a hurry to try to catch it. I heard a wonderful sermon once entitled “Worshiping a 3 MPH God in a 100 MPH world.”  We live in a 24/7 society where we can be busy every moment if we choose to be. The pace can be so frantic that we may not even notice the people around us or the God who weaves in and through our lives. In a blink of an eye, it seems, years can go by.

We are the only ones who can decide to make changes in our own lives – we can choose to stop, or at least slow down.  How will we spend our precious time?  Who do we want to spend time with?  What dear friends are you always too busy to visit? What activities really matter?  Which ones will make a difference? When was the last time you noticed the beauty of the place that we all live – and when did you pause to give thanks for that blessing?

Here is an invitation to be aware of the passages that are part of all of our lives. Can we intentionally decide to cherish the moments of our lives and to give thanks for the people who enrich our days?  Take a moment right now and give thanks for some special person in your life.  And then take another moment to let them know just how much they matter.

Blessings on your journey through the many passages of life.