Life is not like a DVR...

In 2001, the UPS m an delivered a box to our house.  The label on the outside said, "REPLAY TV."  When my husband got home, he rubbed his hands together with the excitement that many a techno-geek has experienced.  When I asked, "What is it?" he responded, "You're going to love it, I promise."  And he was right.  For what we had was  DVR - a digital video recorder.  No more VHS tapes... instead we would use a program guide to schedule recordings, and as an extra bonus, would be able to froward through commercials with the mere press of a button.  I think that we could record an amazing 30 hours of programming at that time, quite an amazing feat... and we could look at the recorded programming guide and just pick what we wanted to watch - no fast forwarding or rewinding.  We could even record one channel and watch something different, or watch a show from the beginning, even if it hadn't finished recording. As far as TV watching was concerned, it was pretty spectacular.

Over the years, we have replaced and even added to our REPLAY TV collection.  After replacing worn out hard drives and upgrading them to something faster and bigger, we can record up to 240 hours.  I have held on to programs that I haven't wanted to get rid of quite yet (I still have the whole season from BONES last year - yes, it was that good - and both seasons of SMASH).  Sometimes when there's not anything good to watch, I'll head into the other room and watch something I know that enjoyed before.  And even better, (especially during election season) I have skipped over more commercials than I care to imagine.  Wouldn't we like the chance to fast forward though difficult times in our lives?  Yeah, it doesn't work that way.

Life is not like a DVR - sometimes you have to just be apart of what's happening, even if it's not your choice. You can't change the channel.  You can't skip over the parts you don't like.  You learn things you'd wish you didn't know.  You are changed.

I am often reminded that it's the hard parts of life that end up making the most changes in me.  I grow through the challenges that I face, not through the easy parts. I learn from the questions I get wrong on the test, not from the ones I get right.  I become a better friend when I reach out beyond my comfort zone, taking the hand reaching out to me.  And all of the experiences of my life make me the one God has called me to be, rather than the person I imagined I would be.

One of the most interesting things about being a part of the Facebook community and authoring my blogs in the last several years is that I feel like I am known.  Through these communities, I can share my joys and challenges.  I can be kidded, encouraged, and sometimes called on the carpet. (My friend Shannon in Atlanta recently reminded me that Auntie Anne and her pretzels are not my friends... I have since extended that friendship ban to her cousin, Krispy Kreme.)  At SC Conference last month, many shared how they have been prayer for our community in the midst of a tragic loss.  My life is no longer an unknown to people I have loved over the years.  And theirs are not unknown to me.

We are connected to each other through our joys and our concerns.  We celebrate, we cry, we question, we grieve, we laugh, we love... and through it all, we live.  No rewinding, no fast-forwarding, just living life one day at a time.

It's all a gift.  Thanks be to God.

Peace, Deb

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."  George Bernard Shaw

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'."  Erma Bombeck