as the focus sometimes changes

"What a gift we have in time.  Gives us children, makes us wine.  Tells us what to take or leave behind.  And the gift of growing old, are the stories to be told of the feelings more precious than gold."  The words of the late singer, John Denver~

When I was a kid growing up, a child of the late 60's and early 70's, I had several favorite musical artists to listen to.  The dial on my little blue radio that I kept beside my bed at night was usually tuned to 1520 KLEO out of Wichita or the FM station, 103.7 KEYN out of the "Air Capitol" city as well.  Music from the Moody Blues, Jim Croce, CSNY, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Harry Chapin were some of the ones I loved the best.  I was also very partial to the songs of a singer named John Denver.  Weird how that one turned out because I sure never would have believed I would be living in his world of "Rocky Mountain High", yet here I am. 

Yesterday as I was reworking this blog site a bit, I came up with the name "The View Through a Different Window" to replace my former name "Peggy's Bucket List Journey of 2011".  Now mind you, it's not because I will no longer work on a bucket list, because I most certainly shall and will.  It was just the right time to make a change, that's all.  I also changed up the "sub greeting", that little spot right below the title that allows a blogger to add another message that is seen each time someone visits your blog page.  For the past 3 years, the words of the late singer Harry Chapin's "Circle" have shown.  I loved Harry Chapin and just like so many of my other favorite singers, he died at a young age in a car crash on New York's Long Island Freeway.  So this time, I chose another singer (also gone too soon) and searched through the lyrics of their songs as well to choose the one just right.  John Denver's "Friends With You" has always been a special one to me and as I read through the words and listened to its melody yesterday morning, I remembered well why I had always loved hearing it. It was the "just right" fit for this blog.

She is me, a senior in high school in May of 1973.

 

That young girl shown above really had no idea of the path she would follow in the days, weeks, months and years that would lie ahead for her after graduation from high school.  Heck, I was a kid maturing into a young adult.  Growing old?  That would be for people in their mid-forties, not 17-year olds.  I had no idea of the fact that we "had a gift in time".  But I would soon be learning it, much too soon.

"Friends I will remember you, think of you and pray for you.  And when another day is through, I'll still be friends with you."

As a child growing up I figure pretty sure that I was one blessed Kansas farm girl.  My parents only made one move during the days of my youth.  I was born in late 1955 when we lived on our family farm in the sand hills of rural Harvey County and I was able to attend Kindergarten through the first half of my 3rd grade year at Burrton (KS) Elementary.  We moved about 30 minutes towards the northwest to the small Reno County community of Haven where I stayed put until graduating from high school 9 years later.  I have always been so grateful for that gift of time and it was during that period that I made so many friends with the other kids I went to school with.  They were the comrades of my youth in the "land of long ago and very far, far away".  Even though we all parted ways that evening in late May of 1973, I never forgot about them and as I got older, ok much older, I started to realize just how much their friendships really did mean to me.




Members of the graduating class of Haven High School, 1973 as we gathered together in October of 2013 for our 40th class reunion at the Anchor Inn on South Main Street in Hutchinson, Kansas. They were the friends of my youth and I will always remember them in my heart.

 

"Baby's days are never long.  Mother's laugh is baby's song.  Gives us all the hope to carry on.  Friends I will remember you, think of you and pray for you.  And when another day is through, I'll still be friends with you."~'Friends', by John Denver.

Time went on for that young girl shown in the photo above.  Remember how I thought that growing old was for the folks in their mid-forties?  At age 58, I must be pretty much beyond old in my earlier way of thinking.  Funny how the years change a person and those of us still blessed enough to be here in the first place wisely begin to embrace the idea that even though we are getting older, there is still much to be done and many more ways that we can have a positive impact on the world. 

 

You know, I think that's where the focus of my blog needs to be in the days and months ahead of me, for whatever time is left for a young girl born "Peggy Ann Scott".  So, I'm getting older and what does that mean for me as I live the life that God has planned for me here along the Western Slopes of Colorado?  I gotta tell you that there have been a couple of times that I've questioned, as my nephew Christopher so lovingly puts it, the "Big Guy's" intentions.  For crying out loud, why would He want me to rip myself out of the soil of my homeland, the plains of Kansas for in the first place?  Why did He allow Mike and I to meet one another at such a late age in our lives?  What is my place here along the Rocky Mountains that John Denver so eloquently sang about?  Little by little, in His perfect timing, I've begun to learn more about the reason.  I've talked to many people, both back home in Kansas and here in Colorado as well, who have said they endured similar experiences in their lifetimes.  The message of comfort they have given to me has basically been the same one.  Their best advice?  Be quiet, be still and wait for the reason to unfold before your very eyes.  Kind of reminds me of a wonderful verse I know from the "Good Book". 

 

Well, soon this day will be dawning and even though the sun has not yet arisen, I have.  We never know what the day ahead will bring us and probably that's not such a bad thing any way.  Whatever happens to us my friends and family, take heart.  Life is really very good and the "sucky" stuff we sometimes encounter?  Well it never has to ruin an otherwise very nice day.  Take care of yourselves, each of you.  I will never forget you, not a one of you.  Please, I hope you will always be remembering me.

 

 



Nothing happens in this world accidentally.  NOTHING. 

Actually, some very good words of wisdom.