“Remember the good times.
They’re all good times, you know.
Life is a harvest
And you reap what you sow.”
Ron Carr
I heard the Carr family sing this song again recently, and am hanging onto those thoughts for dear life. “Dear life” isn’t just a saying. All life is dear, even when times are tough. The Carr family has experienced their share of the tough stuff, as we all do. And yet, even in the midst of whatever dervish dance is disrupting our lives at the moment, there is good. We just have to look a little harder for it. An oriole lit on the feeder yesterday. You don’t see them often here, and you took time to watch and appreciate. What about the hug from a grandchild, the song on the radio that brought back a memory of your first dance with your spouse, a visit with a neighbor, or the sunrise you were lucky enough to see?
Those years when you were so busy with work and raising a family seemed to fly by in a blur. They were good times, but you were too busy to notice. Take time now to be thankful for them. Maybe you’ve had the honor of walking someone home—attending the death of a loved one. You grieved, but it was a good time, an opportunity to grow spiritually. When tragedy strikes, friends and neighbors come out of the woodwork to offer help and comfort. There is good in that time; allow yourself to experience it.
Our lives are sprinkled with events of happiness, celebration, and rejoicing. Hang onto those memories when the roof caves in. Know that everything passes; that there’s good to be found in whatever situation defines this moment.
When folks gather to honor the life of a loved one who has died, they remember the good times. There’s a lot of laughter but, more importantly, there’s acceptance. This is who the person was, warts and all. It’s who we are too and, hopefully, we’re learning to cut one another some slack.
Life is a harvest. As we get closer to harvest time, some of us look back with regret for the weeds we sowed. That bitter crop has affected the lives of others, so we make such amends as we can. We try to plant differently now, knowing we may not be around to see the time of reaping. It’s time to let go of resentments that are the fertilizer for a harvest which poisons the field. Time to forgive, even to forgive ourselves, to know that most of us are simply doing what we have been taught, doing the best we can with the resources we were given.
I’ve never been comfortable with Mother’s Day. If truth be told, there are probably very few moms who don’t think they could have done a better job, and when the offspring make poor choices we blame ourselves. But what about times when you observed them doing a kindness, sticking up for what’s right, or removing their hat for the Pledge? Remember dandelion bouquets? Pick one today and offer it to your mom, if you still have her. If not, then to some other mom, in memory of good times. They’re all good times, you know. Hang onto those for dear life.