Do Overs

Today is my only grandson's 3rd birthday. In a big way, our grandchildren are our do overs.  Whatever parenting mistakes we made or whatever good things we did as parents, we get to do over with their babies. I had a lot of challenges raising a son and his son is very much like he was. An out of the box thinker, others told me. I enjoy this in my grandson, Jackson, much more than I did in his father.  Isn't that odd?  *snickers*

I think of other do overs now that I have begun this little wandering mind chain of thoughts.

I find as I age, I get a lot of do overs. I forget so much that I think I am doing things for the very first time and am excited about that, until someone tells me that I have actually done this before. If they take the time to remind me of that experience, there's a 50/50 chance that I'll remember having done it.  That takes a lot of the fun out, though. I rather like doing things for the first time again.

I've gone back very recently and read all of the blogs I have posted here.  I gave myself some do overs.  I edited several of them. I found lots of things that didn't sound right, didn't look right or were not spelled right!  Yikes, Jo! I used to be a pretty good speller and was careful not to put anything out that I wasn't pretty darned sure was correct. I guess I've lost that 'eye' or I am just too lazy. Either way, I made a ton of corrections to old posts and I felt better about saving them, corrected.  You won't know, but I will.

Life doesn't really give you many do overs, so I guess I would suggest that all of us slow down a bit and think things through just a little longer before taking action. I imagine had I done that in years past, I might not have made some of the same decisions I made. I might have had an easier life or I might have made it more difficult, but I can't help but believe it would have been different. Do overs might be fun to think about, but I don't really want any as far as my life is concerned.  One little change made 40 years ago might have altered my entire life today. I'm not interested in going down that road!  

There is one thing I would do over, if I could. Three years ago tomorrow, February 13, 2009, a very dear friend of mine passed on. I would like one more long visit with him. I would like one more lunch date with him. I don't have unsaid things that he needed to hear nor do I have unanswered questions for him, but one more long lunch filled with conversation would be awesome. I know we will have time, one day. He was my writing mentor and my favorite author and my client and my friend. He was brilliant and like so many other veterans, carried emotional scars that only God could heal. It makes me happy to know those scars are now healed. He is whole and at peace with his Savior. But still, one more lunch date would have made a great do over.

Live your life every minute knowing there are no guarantees and no do overs.


Jo