Birth to Death Journey

Last year, as you may have read, Martha and I concentrated on clearing out a lot of the clutter at our house.  We sill have a long way to go. As I get a long way down the journey of life (birth to death) I see that it is high time to apply this endeavor to even greater areas of life.  Perhaps to spirituality, health, knowledge, relationships and who knows what else.  The late Rev. Forrest Church wrote in "Life Lines, Holding On (and  Letting Go): "When cast into the depths, to survive we must first must let go of things that will not save us.  Then we must reach out for things that can."  Later while working with  terminal cancer, he wrote to his congregation this mantra:
     Love what you have.
     Do what you can.
     Be who you are.
People would sometimes say, "Do you really want cancer?"  He would reply, " to selectively eliminate
all pain from our lives may work for a brief a brief time, for a drunkard or drug addict, but be we cannot selectively wish away all that is wrong without including all that is right."  

HAPPY NOW YEAR

I have been wishing lots of people a "Happy New Year! "   I pray that they will allow God to bless them with well-being, peace and joy.  I really desire that for them and for myself. But Charlie Wonders if there is such a thing as a happy whole year.  After the noise of the fireworks, the dancing, kissing and screaming of New Year's Eve,  then what? Soon the confetti will be swept up and we will all return to the only way we can live--one day at a time, more accurately, one moment at a time.   The only happiness available is that which we experience here and now. The Bible says, "Look! Now is the accepted time." Our challenge is to accept it and live it fully. It also says, "Today is the day of salvation, healing and wholeness." All other time is wishful thinking, illusion. I am happy and at peace now. I cannot be happy and at peace for the next 365 days. I live fully while I can. And it feels good.