The Miles between the Milestones

This month we celebrate my Aunt Terry’s 80th birthday and my sister-in-law Tina’s 50th birthday.  In February, I will be marking 7 years at my company, 13 years of being cancer-free (melanoma –wear sunscreen), my sister Laura’s birthday, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day and Ash Wednesday. And for the sake of learning something new – February 6th is Waitangi Day, commemorating the signing of New Zealand’s founding documentin 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi. We mark our lives by the milestones, but we live it through the miles, a step at a time.

The days we remember, celebrate, commemorate, mourn, and honor are the accumulation of so many moments in between.  Many we wade through with anxiety of what’s coming or what didn’t happen, often times wishing them away to just get through. And other moments we try to hold on tight to so we can extend the anticipation, joy, and excitement. The interwoven moments of joy and sorrow make up the fabric of life.

And from the starkness of winter to the gift of spring, we can be in the moment and walk the path one step at a time or we can race from milestone to milestone, merely marking time.  Slow down and take in the moments with family and friends, that next milestone is just around the corner. The depth of our life is found in those quiet and seemingly uneventful moments – what we give to our days and what we receive from them.