SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY THE JOURNEY

My niece, Grace Kieffer, gave a fabulous speech today as Salutatorian of her class. It was not about the future. It was about focusing on where you are now and enjoying the journey toward wherever you are going.

I heard two great speeches today. The first was given by my son, Kody, at the Colonnade in Millersburg, where he was a guest speaker for their church. His speech was about asking ourselves where and how we most spend our time. Television, cell phones, social media and so many other things can pull us away from more important uses of the time we are given. It was a thought-provoking message that made me examine my own life and question how I use my time each day, each week, each year. How could I make better use of my time? And could it improve my life or help others if I did that? 

The second speech was given by my niece, Grace Kieffer, Salutatorian of the class of 2022 at Northern Dauphin Christian School. Her speech was about how throughout her life she was always wishing and striving to get to the next stage of life. She wanted to get through every grade quickly so she could get to the next grade, and she wanted to grow up fast so she could experience the next big thing such as driving a car or being a senior. 

And now that she is graduating, she looks back and wishes that she hadn't been in such a hurry. She wishes that she had lived more in the moment and enjoyed exactly where she was at the time, instead of longing and striving to move ahead in her life. 

Because when you have your mind on getting to the next big thing, you don't pay attention to what is right in front of you. You can't focus on people or appreciate what's happening in that moment because your mind is fast-tracking toward the future. It was a great reminder for us to take a breath and slow down because life goes fast enough without us forcing it along. 

I had no idea that our family had such gifted speakers. I served as a speaker for Stonecroft Ministries for a short season. It's not an easy thing to do. A strong speech requires sharing personal stories from your own life. It requires a topic that many people can relate to. How we spend our time and living in the moment are both perfect topics for the crazy, stressful world we live in today. I'm so glad that I got to hear both messages. 

We really do need to slow down and enjoy each day, pay attention to the people around us, stop daydreaming about tomorrow. Making plans is not a bad thing, but having your mind in the future to the point of missing the joys of today will eventually bring regret. And wasting time on unproductive things offers little satisfaction. 

Love God and love others. When we put that love in action each day, our time will always be well-spent and we will be living our best life in the present moment. Tomorrow will come fast enough without us pushing it forward. Let's use our time well, slow down and enjoy the journey.