nephews

So My Niece Turned Four

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I still can’t believe that my niece Lizzie is now a 4-year old. It feels like yesterday when I was holding her for the first time as a one-day old. It really and truly does.

It also seems surreal and weird that my nephews are now 8 and 10.

On days like these, I wish I still had my two uncles on my dad’s side. I’d love to get some of their advice on how to be a better uncle. I’d like to know how they felt when I was a 4-year old having birthday parties.

I miss them whenever I hear really good music I think they would like. I also wish I could have appreciated them as much when they were living.

I also think that right now God is pleased with me. Because of Jesus and what He’s done, I am enough and I have enough. I don’t have to perform to earn God’s favor. I don’t have to constantly strive for perfection in hopes that God will grant me His love.

I have it.

That’s the best feeling in the world. Knowing that I am already forgiven and loved and chosen and blessed makes me want to forgive and love and choose and bless better. It makes me want to live better.

So this day continues to be a gift. So is every day that I wake up to. So is every single moment where I’m breathing in and out, basking in the grace of God that forever holds me together and keeps me sane.

I really enjoyed being a part of Lizzie’s 4th birthday party. My sister is a fantastic mother and wife, and my brother-in-law is a great father and husband. Their kids aren’t perfect, but they have the two best role models I know to emulate.

Oh, and God is still God. That’s the best part.

 

Till the Season Comes Round Again

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“May the new year be blessed with good tidings
’til the next time I see you again
And we’ll all join hands and remember this moment
And we’ll love and we’ll laugh in the time that we have
’til the season comes ’round again
’til the season comes ’round again” (Randy Goodrum/John Barlow Jarvis).

I got a bit nostalgic this Christmas. Not in a sad or morbid way. I just had the thought that it will never again be like it was this Christmas. My niece won’t ever be three years old again. My nephews will soon enough be teenagers and not nearly as excited about Christmas and presents.

In fact, there will never be another day like today ever again. There will certainly be more good days, even possibly some great ones that you will spend the rest of your life remembering fondly. But none like this day.

That’s why it’s important to make this one count. There’s a saying from a TV show I saw recently that I like a lot. It says, “One today is worth two tomorrows.”

That means don’t be so concerned about the future that you forget to live in the present. Don’t get so caught up in the past that you forget to be in the now. Take the chances you’re afraid to take. Do the thing you’ve been putting off.

Tell the ones you love that you love them. Don’t ever for a moment think that you’ll always have a tomorrow to tell them. Tomorrow’s never promised and the present is a gift.

I may be descending into cliches, but they’re true. I wish I could go back and say the words “I love you” to some of my relatives that aren’t around anymore. I wish I could sit down with each of them one more time for one last conversation.

Maybe I can do that with the ones who are in my life right now while I still can. I think I’ll do that.