Slowing Down

The house my sister lived in when I was growing up had a big swimming pool in the back yard, and I can't even begin to count how many hours we spent in that pool. We had an absolute blast, and every time I come to Chattanooga, my niece and nephew and I always laugh and reminisce about the fun times we had swimming and playing games in the pool. I hadn't been swimming in a long time until this trip, and yesterday I spent several hours in the hotel's indoor pool with my great nephew and great niece (we surely couldn't do anything outside thanks to tropical storm Lee). There's nothing like little kids in a pool ... it's pure unmitigated fun. We splashed and played and laughed, and they jumped into my arms; I'm telling you ... plain old fun afternoon today.

Life is slower in the South ... people don't get in a hurry to do much of anything. I usually notice it first in the stores, but the slower pace permeates every part of life here. Cashiers visit with their customers; servers in restaurants stand at the table and chat; people slow down in their cars to wave at one another. Time has a whole different meaning here ... it's something to be treasured and enjoyed and relished, especially time spent with family and friends. One of the things that I enjoy when I'm with my family or my friends in the South is the talking ... we sit around and talk for hours. Some of the conversations are serious in nature, such as the ones I've had with my sister's children concerning her health. Some of the conversations are walks down memory lane, such as the ones I'm sure will take place tonight when I have dinner with old friends from high school. Some of the conversations are funny, such as the one I had at the pool yesterday with my nephew Charlie and his wife Allison or last night with my niece Sharon and her husband Mike.

I've thought a lot about time on this trip, and I'm trying to soak in every moment that I have together with these people who are so dear to me. This trip is overflowing with meaning for me on many levels, and I'm determined to make each second count and to measure my time wisely while I am here. I'm more aware than I have ever been in my over 50 years of life that none of us are guaranteed one more breath or one more hour or one more day. I realize more each day that there are two things after my relationship with God that ultimately matter in life ... love and time, and that the two go hand-in-hand.

So here's to slowing down and taking life one moment at a time and to treasuring those moments to the fullest. Here's to swims with extra special little kids in hotel pools on rainy days and meals with family at Country Place Restaurant and rubbing the necks of horses on my sister's farm and dinners with old friends ... here's to life in the South, to family so dear and friends so faithful. Here's to slowing down and taking time to listen ... to God, to others, to my heart.