On the side of the road was a small, multi-tiered fountain frozen in place. An occasional drop of water escaped as the sun rose higher in the sky. I watched until the traffic signal turned green and then pulled ahead following the flow of traffic.

I was thinking about my friend, Carolyn. Usually when I’m in Live Oak observing my interns, I’m pre-programmed to call Mrs. Carolyn and stop by for a visit. Oh how I love seeing her. She has such wisdom and compassion. She is tenderhearted and loving. Everywhere she goes she seems to leave an imprint of peace-a pathway of grace.

As I got to town today, immediately I grabbed my phone to call her. And then I stopped. Tears ran down down my cheeks as I again remembered that I can’t call her anymore; God’s already taken her home.

My thoughts flashed back to the fountain frozen in place. Oh how I longed to to be frozen back in time and be able to see her just one more time. But life doesn’t work like that. Time doesn’t just stand still. Time doesn’t rewind. We lose the ones we love and so many times we forget to love the ones we have before they are lost.

When I was a kid I couldn’t wait to be grown up-to make my own rules and live my own life. What I’d give to go back and enjoy and appreciate those childhood years that didn’t require me to worry or have the cares that I have now as an adult.

David and I were watching Carter play the other day and David commented, “These are the best days of his life and he doesn’t even know it. Not a care in the world.” And as his parents, we don’t want to miss it-not a moment.

It’d be nice if we could hit the pause button sometimes, or the auto-freeze, but we can’t. Life keeps moving no matter how much we long for it to stay frozen in place. We grow older. We make memories. We live life. People come and go. And the cycle continues.

I guess I just don’t want to miss it. At the end of the day, I don’t want to have regrets. And maybe one day, after Jesus calls me home, there will be someone that was impacted by my life, just like I have been by Mrs. Carolyn and so many more that have gone before me.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2