Circles, We All Exist Within Them

If today was evidence of anything, it's that life changes.

We can't slow it down or reverse it, and time has its way with us at one time or another. What we can do is remember and find ways to be as present as possible in whatever moments we find ourselves in. As tempting as it might be to turn away from uncomfortable times, the lessons and depth of meaning they will provide are too valuable in the whole of your life to cast aside.

I may wish that family gatherings like today were similar to that of a few years ago, but when we are forced to be without some of the people in our lives for whatever the reasons are, we appreciate their presence in our lives on a completely different level. Not to mention that we are more apt to connect with those who are still present in a way we may otherwise have overlooked. Missing people has a way of bringing out long forgotten moments and the willingness to celebrate even the simplest of get-togethers when you find yourself all in the same place.

Children grown up, grandparents age and those of us in the middle find we are both remembering the past and anticipating the future simultaneously. My mother and stepfather see their grandchildren growing up and getting close to claiming their own lives, and it's easy to recall that it wasn't long ago they were in my siblings and my shoes. We see them going through some challenging moments with their parents that we hope won't visit us in years to come. The kids and the grandparents are all at once immersed in themselves and aren't always in a place where they remember it wasn't always this way and it won't always be as it is now. Such is the cycle of life.

Try not to miss things because you're too focused on wishing for something that's passed or dreading something that is to come. Live in the now, embrace it and continuing moving foward. Everything has it's time and purpose; don't stand in the way of life unfolding.