There is a reason that the hourglass has the shape it does…. Its easy to recognize that the top and the bottom are significantly larger than the middle where all the sand flows through.

In the moment, the time is small. There where it came from, and where its going both seem so dauntingly huge.

When I think about my life, and all the amazing things I’ve experienced. When I take those in a microcosm, and go thru the exercise, of trying to put myself into the memory, and experience the sounds, the sights, the smells, the feeling of the things around – I can make the experience shrink from this obscure huge amount of sand that is linked to so many other grains of the sand in my past… I can shrink it into the one that represents that moment.

There are some moments that we try to hold in the middle – try so hard to keep them there, because they are so so joyful, so filled with blessing and bliss that our hearts are overcome with the emotion and as it bursts out and fills us up inside… it forces its way out thru our tears in joy.

This was a week filled with these moments.

Just like the hourglass for time, which seems so so linear — when the sand runs to its end, we flip the glass and start over again. The circle makes all the difference.

The song from the Lion King – the Circle of Life seems so appropriate, for me right now. So many blessings, so many great new beginnings.

Emotions seem alot like the helium balloon – when its new and fresh and filled and so happy – its floating above your head, but it doesn’t just fall to your hand when it is over, it falls and pulls you down to the floor.

I think part of growing up is the knowledge that the floor will be coming, and knowing the tricks to bring yourself back to the loving self in the middle from before the balloon arrived.

There is joy in all three stops, the top with its beautiful heart explosions, the middle with its smiles, hugs, and laughter, and even on the floor – there is joy on the floor – the joy of realizing you will be alive, and that there will be new tops again in the future, the perspective from the opposite angle is like looking at the hourglass upside down and realizing that when you turn the sand, its a fresh new beginning.

Got to have my thanksgiving in a smaller, modified version – but the turkey was still incredible – thank you to P for spending his 50 prepping/smoking the bird for me.

Next chemo is tomorrow – it will be the first since surgery. It will be a great time to see how mild the side effects really are, now that the infection is routed, and my body can work on building itself back up in health.

Its the holidays, and I’m excited to experience and see all the love and joy that normally fills the air this time of year.

Here is to another turn of the hourglass, and another set of new beautiful memories.