Saturday, May 24, 2014

The Old and The New

This is my favorite time of year.
Everything is growing; everything seems so fresh and new.
There is so much hope.

Our walk today got me thinking about new and old.

We walk over ground that has changed over the ages. Today I am walking a path that is at the same time both new and old. I see the new growth; green is everywhere. Yet underneath, and alongside the path, there is evidence that much has come before. Years ago, it too was new, but now, it is old, even ancient, and almost gone.

Along the path today I saw old cedar stumps. The trees were logged from the land almost 100 years ago. The stumps remind me of what was old. They were mighty and new in their day. And now, they are gone, almost forgotten. Yet, growing next to these old treasures, are new cedar trees, towering to the sky.

The new is present. Should I be happy or sad? Happy that life continues and abounds? Or sad, seeing that the grandeur of what was, is fading, and is only a shadow of what was?

I think about my life. I am still young in my mind, but my body reminds me of the years I have lived. My skin, my hair, my outward appearance betrays my mind. Many see me as old. But, I choose to see each day as new; I yearn to enjoy the excitement of each new day and to be hopeful about my future. I choose to listen to that which is hopeful; to feel the joy of the new; and to respect what I now see as old.

I am happy to have friends that will walk with me to enjoy the present, to see the new, and to appreciate all that has come before and is now seen only as a shadow.

New and old...they are both good. They are both a part of a wonderful mystery of time.


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