Lessons from Grandma

My grandmother once told me that the older I got, the faster time would pass. Like everything else she told me, it is true. Days flew by, then weeks flew by, and now months fly by so quickly that it is dizzying.

As I had likely passed the mid-point of my life I had begun to bemoan the time that had come and gone so quickly, as though that time is lost forever. It is not that I fear death in my future. That is inevitable and I feel that I have come to terms with the fact that death comes to all mortal beings. Rather, it was that time seemed as though it was slipping through my fingers like grains of sand, never to be recovered.

I have conversations with myself while driving. The issue was that I came to the realization that the passage of time was something I have no control over, and the thoughts I was having about it were distracting me from some of the joy in my life.

My grandmother, who never drank a drop of alcohol in her life, often recited the Serenity Prayer as she did housework. When I was a child I often wondered why she recited that prayer because I knew it was the prayer those who were battling alcoholism, recited during recovery and then throughout their lives. As an adult I have found that prayer a good reminder for many situations. Grandmother was right to recite the prayer and unknowingly show the value of it to me.

The acceptance of the lack of control over the passage of time, however, did little to make me feel better about it. My conversation with myself continued. If I can not change it, then how can I feel better about it? Then the thought came to me that if I can not do anything about the passage of time, I can choose how I view it or feel about it.

This is how I now view it and feel about it. As time passes I gain a variety of experiences, and I get to keep the memories of those experiences. Without the passage of time I could not have the experiences or the memories. They are gifts, small and large. They are moments and they are lifetimes.

More than before I treasure the moments and memories they give me. A smile or an expression of gratitude, holding our grandchildren, having dinner with my sons and their families, a hug, a pretty flower, a kiss from my husband, a funny joke with laughter, a breeze against my cheek, a beautiful song, a colorful sunset, and all that happens that is good and joyful.

My grandmother may be gone, but she still teaches me great lessons. Thank you, Grandma.