From Cindy Rushton's Desk(TOP!)!

While You Have the Time, Take the Time by Crystal Paine

8:24 PM, Nov. 3, 2006 .. Posted in Ministering to YOUR Heart .. Link

While You Have the Time, Take the Time

By Mrs. Crystal Paine

Here in Kansas, where we live, the leaves are turning beautiful shades
and falling off the trees. Just last week, I was babysitting some
little boys and we were playing outside. The area around their home
was carpeted in leaves—-ready for our enjoyment! We raked the leaves
into huge piles, jumped in them, buried people underneath them, and
threw leaves at each other. We had a blast! There was almost constant
giggling, and no one was ready to go in when it was lunch time.
(Except for the babysitter who had had enough leaves in her hair for
one day!). Though such a simple thing, our time playing in the leaves
brought such wholesome enjoyment. It also served to remind me of days
gone by when I was a little girl. Every fall, my parents took us
outside and played in the leaves with us. What happy memories!

While being chased by little boys with handfuls of leaves, I couldn't
help but wonder how many other children were missing out on such
pleasure. In this post-modern age of video games, daycare, fast food,
TV dinners, and entertainment overload, have our children been
deprived of some of those marvelous "old-fashioned" joys of life?
Almost a year ago, I donned a white dress and walked down a church
aisle to pledge my love to the man of my dreams. In doing so, I
exchanged one life for another. I am still my parents' daughter, but
now I am also Jesse's wife. My childhood is over. I cannot relive
those days, nor can my parents. There are no more bike rides to the
ice cream store, no more wrestling matches with dad (okay, we only did
that when we were little. When we got older, Dad started getting hurt,
so the wrestling had to stop!), no more playing in the leaves, no more
building snowmen or snow forts, no more piggyback rides, no more walks
to the park.

Yes, my childhood is over, but I am so thankful I can look back on it
with such happy memories. My parents took so much time for me and
spent so much time with me. Instead of sitting me in front of the TV,
we made forts in the basement or played with finger paint. Instead of
sending me off to daycare, Mom read to us, sang with us, taught us
finger plays, and took us to museums. Instead of fast food for dinner,
we had home-cooked meals with homemade bread we'd helped knead or green beans we had picked from our garden. Looking back over my
childhood, I won't tell you my parents were perfect, but I do know
they always had time for us. They realized that more important than
our involvement in sports, or their volunteering in the community, was
that they took the time to teach, train, and enjoy their children.

Last week, a 19-year-old friend of mine died suddenly in a tragic car
accident. Neither she nor her parents knew that Wednesday was her last
day on this earth. Although we are grateful Rebekah is now in the
presence of the Lord, we grieve that we no longer have an opportunity
to spend time with her on this earth, and we are all reminded that our
life is just a "vapor." While you still have it, take the time to
invest in the lives of your children and those around you. Cherish
each moment. You may not have many left.

You may be thinking, "But I just don't have the time." Make the time.
Evaluate your life: What activities are you currently involved in that
are not going to matter ten years from now? How about 100 years?
Simplify your life. Get rid of clutter and make room for joy. Someday
when your children are grown and gone, they are probably not really
going to remember the presents you bought for them or the
opportunities you allowed them, but they will remember the time you
spent with them.

There are a lot of good things in life for one to devote time to-—but
only a few of those things are the best things. My parents chose the
best, and I will always be indebted to them.

Don't let another priceless moment slip through your hands because you
are "too busy." While you have the time, take the time.

Meet Crystal Paine...

Crystal Paine is a 23-year-old homeschool graduate from Topeka,
Kansas. She married her beloved husband Jesse in January 2003. They
are eagerly expecting their first child in a few months. Crystal and
Jesse operate http://www.CovenantWeddingSource.com out of
their home--an online business dedicated to promoting God-honoring
weddings and assisting parents to wisely prepare their children for
marriage. Crystal is the author of The Merchant Maiden: Earning an
Income Without Compromising Convictions. You can contact her at:
contact@covenantweddingsource.com

Want a treat? Listen to our interview at Mom-to-Mom Radio Show:
Introducing Crystal Paine…Heart-to-Heart with a Homeschool Graduate!
See it here:

http://momtomomradioshow.com/blog/?p=36

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