12-12-12 - What does it mean to you?

Some things just call out to be noticed!

I was behind this car a couple of weeks ago and had to snap a shot of that temporary plate

12-12-12.... Wow!

I'd like to warn you, this post has very little to do with quilting, and a whole lot to do with my rambling thoughts on life.... so you can choose to read on or come back in a few days when I'll hopefully be back to my normal quilty self =^..^=

Bonnie Hunter said on her blog today, "Did you stop to think that this is the last date we will ever see with repeated numbers like this?  This is it for our lifetimes.  Very cool!"  I agree with her completely!  It was even more cool last year on 11-11-11 when all the numbers were 1's - that won't happen again until ... well, I'm not sure without a lot of calculating and I'm not in the mood for that kind of brainy stuff right now :*D  But it will be hundreds of years before that happens again!

Days like today, when something special happens that will not happen again in my lifetime, I stop and think about how short life really is and whether I am spending my life in the best possible way.  Are there things I am leaving undone that could have made a difference for the generations coming after me?  Have I done enough?  Have I been there for those who have needed me?  Have I been too preoccupied with pursuing "happiness" and "enjoying the journey"?

When the days go by in a blur of activity and routine, maybe I need to stop, take a breath, and ask myself, What am I missing here?  Who am I forgetting in the hustle and shuffle?  Life is so short.... their lives...  my life.  I was given life for a reason - am I fulfilling that purpose?

So much of my early adult life was spent in just trying to survive.  My first marriage was a miserable twelve year span where I basically tuned out, covered my head and just hoped the world would go away.  Then I was a single mom of two small kids for ten years.  I didn't have time to think about the deeper things of life.  I was just concerned with putting bread on the table, keeping shoes on their feet and somehow getting the electric bill paid every month on a secretary's salary.

But then God gave me a wonderful husband and began providing for me and my children in a beautiful way.  My life expanded so that I could begin to enjoy it.  I went back to college and finished up my bachelor's degree.  I became a grandma and poured out my heart and energy on those sweet young lives.  I found the Lord and began to follow Him in earnest.

Then we moved to Tennessee and I discovered quilting!  And quilting became my focus....  Nothing wrong in that.  I am at a place in my life now where I am allowed to pursue the things that I enjoy - thanks to the generosity of my sweet husband :*) And since I never really had a childhood, I am thoroughly enjoying this "second" one very much, thank you!

But recently, I realized that I have been giving quilting just a little too much of my life.  It needs to be a balanced part of my life, not the main focus.  I need to stop and smell the roses more often.  I need to look around me and notice the people who surround me, take the time to listen to what's on their hearts, their joys, their pains, their hopes.  I know I need to get back to a regular time of sitting with my Lord and deepening my relationship with Him once again.

I definitely plan to make some changes in 2013.  I want to be more purposeful in what I allow in my life, what I choose to give my precious days to.  I may choose to drop some things and take up some others.  I plan to choose my quilting projects with care and keep a schedule that is reasonable, that allows time for other interests and the special people in my life.  I still want to be involved with my quilting family and friends - absolutely!  But I want to make room for a deeper life, one that can perhaps make my days count for something eternal, something that will last beyond my lifetime, perhaps even beyond the next 12-12-12.....

That's what 12-12-12 means to me.  How about you?

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=