Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Quicksilver Days

The years tumble by like colored blocks from a toy box. The green ones of youth, white of innocence, the blue of maturity, red of passion, and yellow of mellow age. The thirties turn like a square on a Rubik cube and, click, it’s the sixties.

Now, see the bright flashes of light that tiptoe across the lake in the late morning light of October. Stop and savor; when the wind shifts, all is gone except the dark shadows of the pine trees.

Late summer roses burst forth in an annual celebration of Indian summer days. Lean over, inhale slowly, feel the fragile pink petals which spill into my hand on your wedding day.

Come to the window, can you hear it too? Holding my breath in the winter air, I listen to the music of the wild geese until it fades away in the black velvet night.

Tiny fingers close around my large extended finger, then they release. I count all ten little piggies and marvel at the miracle which is my step daughter’s child. And I recall the sweetness of other babies’ necks.

It seems just last year that Mother was in her kitchen, making her navel orange holiday cake. Full of oranges from Dad’s grove, raisins, and nuts, the cake’s rich, dark, color was highlighted by the crystallized sugar glaze over the top. Now her hands are folded, still and cold. Yet I remember the brief hours, oft repeated, around the festive family table.

Only now can I realize how precious and singular are the days that remain. I reach - to fill my soul with the beauty of God’s world and the joy of family affections. Even as I try to grasp each moment, it slips through my fingers like the water of a mountain stream, quicksilver and cool.

Psalm 121:8 New Living Translation - "The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever."

May you always have the Lord's peace and joy!

Margaret
http://www.inspirationalcreationsbymargi.com/
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