Due to the demanding nature if my job I have been gone a good bit, away from my family and away from any semblance of a normal life. How ironic is it then that every time I turned on my Ipod the shuffle immediately went to songs that of course drove home the point of just what I was missing out on.

For Example, the first song to play? “You’re gonna miss this”  by Trace Adkins. For those who may be unfamiliar here is a nice excerpt:

“You’re gonna miss this, you’re gonna want this back, you’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast. These are some good times, so take a good look around, you may not know it now….but you’re gonna miss this.”

So I am about to cry as I curl up on the cold bus (way too much AC) as I speed away for yet another day in the field and then this comes on: “Don’t Blink” by Kenney Chesney:

“Don’t blink,just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap, and wake up and you’re 25 and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife. Don’t blink, you just might miss your babies growing like mine did, turning in to moms and dads and next thing you know your better half of 50 years is lying there in bed and you pray that God takes you instead. Trust me friend a 100 years goes faster than you think, so don’t blink…”

At this point I feel like jumping off the bus and thumbing my way back to Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center (where my car is) when of course this song comes on, “Three wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis.

“It’s not about what you take when you leave this world behind…it’s what you leave behind you when you go…”

So my question is this: How often do we stop and really look at our lives, our spouses, our children? How often do we really listen to what they have to say, notice the wonder they experience each new day?

We all get so hectic, busy, caught up in what we think is important, but really…..can you take it with you?

no. Enjoy life now, it is all we have.