When I was younger I was quick to anger and even quicker to judgment. But as time went on I found myself changing.
I saw people that I loved leave, reminding me of how fragile our little flame of life is. And how precious a gift it is. When my heart gave me trouble and a big scare, it was another reminder of how short a life can be and how quick it can draw to an end.
And time races by. Seemingly quicker as you grow older. I reached that stage in life when I was biding more goodbyes than hellos. More funerals than christenings.
Anger and resentment have given way to the understanding that every ones life is special and is to be respected. Much of what once was a big deal has little meaning now.
And I sit in my little boat on the river I so enjoy. I see the white birch swaying on the hillside, the muskrat with his nose poked out of the water heading towards his bank burrow. I think I see an eagle overhead soaring in the upper air currents. And it occurs to me. We only have this one opportunity to experience these things. We are just visitors.
