Slow down, baby.

I don't know if anyone noticed how beautiful the moon was today. I stepped out of the house at 5:15 in the morning. I stopped short as soon as I saw the moon. It was incredible! According to the Lunar calendar, it was a full moon last night. But it had been raining and you couldn't appreciate its fullness. This morning, though, it was a sight to behold. Big, bright and magnificent, the moon stood out in all its glory, a bright ball of light in a sea of stars and gray clouds.

I wanted to rush back inside and grab my camera. I already spotted the perfect angle and, with my SX10's powerful zoom, I knew I'd be able to capture a good shot of the scene. But I was thinking of the time. If I stalled, I would be late for my show. So like the rest of the metro's mere mortals, I rushed to work. I was berating at my inner self for not taking the time to get just one snapshot. What are the chances of me seeing the moon in that glorious state again? It might not happen again.

It's a lesson I've learned and would like to share. People say we should stop and smell the flowers. We really must, actually. All of us lose ourselves in the nitty-gritty of everyday life. We get too busy to stop for a while and look around and appreciate the beauty of the world around us. Have you ever realized that for most of us, it takes a lot - expensive, shiny, hi-tech material things - to take our breaths away? It's a sad thing. We forget to appreciate the wonders of the elements, the air we breathe, the blue skies in the morning, the bed of stars that covers us at night. I can imagine God feeling very disappointed at us for our complete disregard of this wondrous gift He has given us - our world.

Aside from this, we have become too busy to count our blessing. When was the last time you sat back to reflect on what you have? There are so many things to be thankful for! There really isn't any time to be depressed about things we don't have, if you think about it. That's probably what God wants us to know, when the moon is bright and full, when you wake up to merry chirping of birds outside your window, when you chance upon the marvel of a shooting star or the beauty of a rainbow. Life isn't always about contracts and business meetings, making money, getting ahead, moving forward, climbing corporate ladders, working like crazy. Life is also about taking slow steps, breathing deeply, sand between your toes, basking in sunshine or watching the sunset, picking flowers along the road, laughing 'til you cry, running with arms outstretched and the wind blowing through your hair, staring quietly at the full moon. Most importantly, life is about listening to God, catching His messages and finding him in everything and everyone. When our days have become mazes and whirlwinds and rat races, what can save us are the moments where we stop and smell the flowers.

Surely there is something in the unruffled calm of nature that overawes our little anxieties and doubts; the sight of the deep-blue sky and the clustering stars above seems to impart a quiet to the mind.
- Jonathan Edwards