WHAT YOU SEE, IS WHAT YOU GET

             You have no doubt noticed that I don’t blog as much as I use to. The reason for that is that I have other things going on in my life that have kind of distracted me from doing so. And I’m sure your life has gone just fine without my philosophical/theological meanderings. But every once in a while something occurs to me that leads me to my laptop for the sole purpose of sharing my thoughts with whomever may find them meaningful. 

            Just this past week, I visited the area where I first began my career as the pastor of a church. Before that time I was a Director of Christian Education and Youth Pastor, as well as attending seminary—44 years in total as a church professional. The occasion was to celebrate the birthday of my oldest son by pointing out to him where his life began 36 years ago. We had a great day together, walking around Smithville village and going out to lunch at the Oyster Creek Restaurant, passing by the Leeds Point location where the legend of the Jersey Devil originated.

            I’ve been reflecting a bit on that day since last Thursday when Matt and I ventured down to Galloway Township for a time of retracing his roots, so to speak. I looked at the little white church across the way from the Smithville Inn, and thought to myself that in those days I had it all before me—the churches, the people, the experiences, the moments of great joy and sometimes great sadness, the moments filled with challenges, questions and doubts as well as inspirational encounters with the mysteries of God.

            I’ve had a few people ask me if I have any regrets or things that I wish I had done differently. I think anyone who cares about his or her life can always come up with a list of things in those categories. I have often joked that I want my epitaph to read: “He meant well.” And maybe that’s the most that any of us can say in an overview of our lives—we have meant well and continue to do so. Of course there are people who don’t mean well. I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about those of us who want to live lives for the good of all.

            Sometimes we get it right; sometimes we don’t. But spending too much time wishing we could go back and correct our mistakes and poor judgments is a useless exercise, and simply drains us of the energy we need to make the most of our present moments, which are, by the way, the only moments we have.

            This morning in church, the minister pointed out the influence of what we allow our minds to pay attention to, whether negative or positive. As he said, there is a purpose built into the evolutionary conditioning of noticing the negative as a way to keep us from dangerous situations. But he went on to talk about the importance of paying attention to the positive as the way to having a spiritually and mentally abundant life of well-being. [The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Vamos, Sr. Pastor, The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville]

            As Frank Sinatra use to sing: “Regrets, I’ve had a few—but then again, too few to mention.” Whether few or many, there is such a thing as grace, which makes it all the more important to focus on all that is good and rich and wonderful.

            “Nothing is too wonderful to be true”  (Michael Farraday)

            “There are only two ways to live your life: as though nothing is a miracle, 
           or as though everything is a miracle.” (Albert Einstein)