For Whom the Bells Toll.......

At lunch, I visited a local mall to make a few purchases. As I left, I stopped outside the store's exit and fumbled in my purse for my keys. As I stood there fumbling for my key's the Salvation Army bell ringer was ringing his bell. I was not even paying attention to it until I was stopped to find my keys. As I stood there the bell's ring, seemed to resonate in my head and I was totally distracted from finding my keys. My focus kept drifting to those that have lost loved ones and those that are going thru difficult times as we approach the "holidays". The bell was ringing so methodically and my head was almost spinning. In such a brief moment, I thought of so many families and their situations....many of the families listed in my "Praying For" list located on the left of my blog. I couldn't believe how my mind was racing....couldn't find my keys....wanted to find a dollar bill to put in the kettle and wanted to run....all at the same time. As I walked to the kettle, I thought specifically of the wife lost today in Tennessee - BJ Kilpatrick and of little Jake Raborn and how his family continues to turn his death into opportunities to "pay it forward" and of Hannah Sobeski's family "carrying the torch". I pushed my dollar in firmly and hoped it would find a way to "pay it forward". The ringer smiled, wished me a nice day and I thanked him and told him "you too". It was as if the bell stopped but I know it didn't....I know he was still ringing it and with the same methodicalness that was there a few moments ago....it just didn't have the same resonance that it seemed to have just moments earlier when I fumbled for my keys and was going to pass it by. I know a dollar isn't an impactful amount.....at this moment I don't think that ordeal was about the amount but about the recognition and the reflection that took place for me. Little did I know I would get back to my office and receive a message from my dad about 20 minutes later. That message was that I needed to call him and that it was very important. You never know with my dad...important can have varying scales with him but that's another one for another day. I called him to have him tell me my grandfather had passed away this morning. He is my Mom's Dad and she is an only child. There have been extenuating circumstances that have placed a strain on the relationships we all shared with he and his wife (not my grandmother, she passed away in 99). Nonetheless, it met me with a swell of mixed emotions and will cause some angst for us in the days to come. So the bells have tolled and continue to toll....life must go on, even when others have passed on. To quote James 4:14, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." How small that truly makes our life yet so important that we live it while we can. So, I will persevere thru the next few days and close another chapter in my life. As the next chapter begins for me and for you...I'd ask you: Are you living your life - truly living it? Can you take the time to hear the bells and really hear them? Can you pay it forward? Can you carry the torch? In my prayers - Tonya