Lot of Work for What Purpose?

We are a funny people, would you not agree?  We will do things which just don’t make a lot of sense, but we make more than sense out of it.  Like dressing up our homes for Christmas….surely a tradition this time of year all around the globe.  Putting up the lights outside this year took around 40 hours between Arny and myself….35 hours Arny and 5 hours me is probably a fair breakdown, although I was there more than 5 hours of it.  Inside, Sandy spent at least a day’s work getting things together.

Over at mom and dad’s is another few hours of lights, with two strings still to be put up.  And inside, Marcia and mom have spent a number of hours working getting things put together.  All of this just so that in 3-4 weeks it all comes down again, boxed up, put away for another eleven months.

   

There is not arguing as to how it all looks…it looks and feels nice….after all, it is Christmas.  And there is something about the lights, the trees, the music which makes Christmas special…which brings back memories of Christmas past, present, and future.  But it isn’t just at Christmas that we do these type of things….

We just did Thanksgiving.  Over the years, this is what I have observed.  An hour or two at the grocery store to get everything, usually in three or more trips.  Day before Thanksgiving is a day of pie cooking, bread/rolls making, and a quick bath for the turkey which just isn’t thawing fast enough.  Day of Thanksgiving, is an early day for the cook, got to get the turkey into the oven after stuffing is made and stuffed into the turkey, then hours of cooking yams, potatoes, making salads, baking and more baking.  It takes a good hour to get the table perfectly set-up, and someone undoubtedly has to run to the store for that final item that was forgot over the previous three or four shopping trips.

And then the dinner is devoured in just a few minutes…the larger the crowd, the more noise and mess.  Happy Thanksgiving you all….boy wasn’t that fun!  16-20 hours of work for 30 minutes of enjoyment.  WOW!!!  But family is family, and again, memories last for a long time, even over generations of time.

Anyone who has been to Glacier National Park knows that there is a west entrance, and an east entrance.  If you stay at the west entrance, and wish to visit the area known as Many Glacier (where the glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate, but the landscape is still just as gorgeous as ever), that it will take the full day to travel up and over Logan Pass, up to Many Glacier, spend a few hours at Many Glacier, and then head back to the west entrance.  An eight to ten hour day includes up to six hours of driving.  Or, you can take your RV to the east side, get setup again, then travel up to Many Glacier…so you just spent a day to move, and another day to sightsee.  But there are times that seeing that which God created is worth every penny of our time and energy.

Just recently we traveled for two days there, and one day back, to see my daughter in Salt Lake City.  Left Sunday around 1 pm, got back on Wednesday around 6 pm.  About 75 hours in which we got to spend around 6-8 hours with Stephanie.  Well, that only comes down to one, simple yet complex word, Love.

I think it all comes down to this….in life, there are many things that are just PRICELESS.  Costs become artificial barriers.  When we take the time to do things which are good, that make people happy, that bring back lost feelings, which reunites loved ones….these moments truly become Priceless Moments.  My wish to all of you is that your life is full of these Priceless Moments.