Shuck: Movement, change and life force

I have always been one to meditate on life, in general. Life is so awesome and filled with treasures that it’s too big and too great for one to fathom.

I recently said goodbye to visiting members of my family. They had to get back and again settle into their routines at home. Life goes on. I re-entered into my world and they into theirs. I find it amazing that God provides so many things in our lives that make it necessary that we learn, change and move our bodies to meet the demands of living on this earth. Although many do not relish the thought of moving and changing and learning, I find it wonderful that we are able to do what we must. It takes courage, tenacity and will to accomplish all that humans do. The magnitude of what is required of us each hour and day boggles our minds, if we think about it. In the good all days, we know that people had to forage and work, merely to live—to keep warm, to have food to eat and a roof over their head. Their whole life was filled with the attempt to stay alive, as they faced the harsh elements of cold, heat, deprivation, and difficult and demanding toil. We today, must continue striving to make a living, maintain a home, acquire food to eat, provide schools for our children and so on. Even though times are different, now, people still must remain on their toes. We still must learn, change and move, and it is stunning that we are able to meets the demands of what is required each day. It sends a tingle and a chill down my back to absorb the complexity of it all.

As I watched my guests pack their things to get on the road back home, I felt sad seeing all the labor it involved. One family was from Florida and the other lives in Texas. Both distances were a far piece to travel and entailed many twists and turns to make it happen. Loss of sleep, making airline connections and catching up at home are all, often, a part of visiting. However God always helps make such events, daily living and survival happen. Those impossible tasks become possible. Afterwards our tired bodies become refreshed and our hearts, again, jump with joy. We keep moving and looking forward to a better tomorrow, even if today is a challenging one.

I watered my petunia plants, recently. I had just planted them in my flower boxes and I was disappointed that their growth were faltering. Some drooped their heads, never to recover, but fortunately many of the limp ailing plants took on a different demeanor as I doused them with cool water. The thirsty blooms raised their faces toward the sky and opened their mouths for another drink, and the blossoms exhibited the effect of the force of movement and life. Their limp heads stood up with pride and expectation.

After my elderly father-in-law, Max, become a widower, he tried to fill his time and keep happiness setting on his shoulders as he maneuvered his life to fit his new state of being alone. He was, thankfully, able to drive and he make sure to get out every day to engage with people. His house was located close to a highway with ample traffic. Whereas most would dislike seeing and hearing automobiles, trucks and other motorized vehicles, traveling back and forth, he relished the movement and moderate noise. He delighted in the theoretical show because he said “it was life.” I agreed. He watched and listened to others as they went about living their lives and he breathed vicariously through them. He also fed squirrels and ducks and adored his dog, Ruff. The movement of the animals were all signs of life for him and I learned from Max. He was Christian and genuinely believed in advice from Acts 17:28. “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” Look around and find the beauty and love that’s all around you and ponder from where it comes. Appreciation and gratefulness will follow.

Ellen Shuck holds degrees in psychology, religious education and spiritual direction. She is the author of the book, “Wisdom for the Journey.”