The Dance of Life



Pastor Roger dancing with his mother in law

"The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place." Barbara de Angelis  I love this quote.  We can come from horrible backgrounds or wonderful backgrounds.  In either case, that's not where we live now.  We can choose to keep going back to those places, reliving them, allowing them to keep hindering us.  Or we can become engaged in the dance of life that is happening now!

We can have power over what we will become in the future by being engaged in the present.  It is great to set goals and to make plans to reach those goals.  But we can't lose sight of our daily story.  If we hurry through the day without making it count then it's like ripping a page out of a book.  The next page makes no sense without the page before it.

I can remember times when I was so busy (in my head) that all of a sudden I would realize one of my children was in the middle of telling me something and I just had a blank stare on my face and had no idea of what they were talking about.  Precious moments that can never be gotten back; times of fellowship that could have meant so much.  Times that I forgot to participate in the dance of life.  Thank goodness there are not a lot of moments missing from my story!



New Year's Eve Dance at Church

When I think about life as a dance, it becomes less of a chore and more of a joy.  I can truly say that the mountains of laundry and the chaotic dinners where everyone was telling about their day, and helping with homework for hours have made for some of my best memories.  I cherish those memories, but now, I'm celebrating a new dance in my life.  Five out of my six children have flown the coop and the last one will be gone before I know it.  So I've got to learn to live and dance this new life.

I am able to spend more time with the hubby and with girlfriends.  I'm able to take walks and long baths and sit by myself and listen to my mom's old albums on her stereo.  I have kids in college, kids having kids, one in high school and my days are full and exciting.  I know that God has a plan for my future but it involves enjoying my present and not mourning my past!

Are you enjoying your dance of life?  Are you trying to hurry and skip to get to the future?  Are you stuck in memories of your past?  Dear One, I hope you remember that whatever your day brings, it's part of your story and you can choose to participate in it, even if it's challenging and hard.  I hope that one day when you look back over your story you won't realize there are pages missing.






From His Lap,