As we grow older, we are more frequently gifted with moments filled with the taste of heaven. These are the times when we can briefly enjoy the fruits of our labors and truly sense our purpose in life. It is a time of special clarity in our busy minds and hearts. It is the time when we realize that only little things create differences and that in the big things of life we are at one.
For me it happens every day in wondrous little ways. When I stand on the ground beneath a white pine tree in the yard that was planted by an adventurous kindergartner from Sunset Elementary in the 1960s. When I spy the redbud sapling growing vigorously in the garden which came from an Arbor Day packet planted a decade ago. When I look into the eyes of the people I love and respect.
I have been blessed with many healers in my life, just at the times when I needed them most. It is only now that I can see those times within the wider perspective of a long life. Life has many hellish moments and there is no greater comfort than finding someone who is dedicated to helping us mend and recover to meet another day. From people like these, we learn to triumph over hardship. For people like these, we can never be too grateful.
I have also been blessed by many strong role models in my life who have taught me to do my little part for a better world and to never ever quit trying. That includes recycling, re-using and not wasting time and money. I have reached a point where less is truly more in so many ways. I take pride in being one of the Little Old Ladies Trying to Save the Planet.
I feel privileged to live in a time when I have a unique opportunity to support democratic values that I learned from Pop Hayden, my Civics teacher at West Intermediate School in Jackson. I feel particularly fortunate to be a member of the Rotary Club of Vicksburg, where we focus on Service Above Self in our community. I love meeting friends and strangers as I walk the dog each day through our beautiful community. I still get excited about going to the bookstore and the library where I can find ways to travel the world.
If this all isn’t heaven on earth, I don’t know what is.
