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Time passes. It is neutral. It is unchanging.
But our perception of time greatly changes as we age.
Remember how long summer was when you were a kid? I remember. It seemed like there were many more hours in the day to play, eat, ride bikes and otherwise – just fooling around and eating popsicles. Long, lazy, hot summer days.
Now it seems that everything moves faster – except me. Things spin around me. I look at my grown children and wonder, ‘what happened’? Just yesterday they were small and running around the house – getting into all sorts of mischief – the next thing I remember – I have one that’s married and the other that’s out of high school.
Last year our daughter got married – on our 28th anniversary. As I recall the events of last year at this time – I honestly don’t know what happened! Did the last year even happen at all? And the obvious question: Where was I – when it did? Scary.
I’m glad that some things don’t change. Things that matter – like love, family, friendship, conviction and faith in God. In an ever-changing and fast paced world – it’s nice to know.
And with the passage of time – I want to be able to say – when my days are done – even though I may not feel any differently than I do now – that I have no regrets. I want to know that I did everything in my power to reconcile differences with people – and to try to repair the lost and damaged relationships in my life. I want to be able to be proud of who I am – and what I have been able to accomplish in my ‘circle of influence’. And the people who value me as a person and a friend – I want them to say that their life was fuller and richer because of knowing me.
I hope my students (both former and present) will be able to take what I’ve taught them over the years – and blossom because of what I gave them out of my time and experience. I want to be able to look at each one of them and be proud of them for touching and influencing their world with music.
I want my husband and my children (and someday grandchildren) to have been greatly affected by my gentle presence of love and a non-judgmental attitude. To show them by example – of love and laughter and let God’s love shine through me. To know that I have truly made a difference – is my biggest goal. And my biggest challenge.
What is yours? We all have a certain amount of days. A certain amount of heart beats. What will your legacy be? What will you accomplish with that limited time?
Live with no regrets. Love with everything in you. And most of all – learn to embrace the passage of time.
God Bless
Here is a song from the great Billy Joel – who originally wanted to be a history teacher – in this song there is about 40 years of history – or the passage of time. Enjoy!
Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
Rosenbergs, H Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The Rye
Eisenhower, Vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Maciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dancron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkwether, Homicide, Children of Thalidomide
Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Hemingway, Eichman, Stranger in a Strange Land
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson
Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China’s under martial law
Rock and Roller cola wars, I can’t take it anymore
