A time for every season

We are often asked, "how can you give a puppy back after caring for it for one year, sometimes more. We always jokingly say, "Oh we just get another one, and anyway we know that we are helping some vision impaired person to gain independence.
While this is true it is never easy to return a puppy for formal training after loving, playing, training, and caring for it, even though we know from the start that this is only temporary.

Thinking about this situation made me think that everything is really only temporary. The young become the old as the cycle of life takes it's course. I was reminded about the passing of time last Sunday, when I saw a little girl I used to teach in Sunday school. She is now a young teenager. I was shocked. Had I changed as much as she had changed in the intervening years? I think we don't notice it in ourselves.

The other day I heard about this old man who had Dementia. His wife of sixty years was caring for him. They were sitting watching television, when she said, "Come dear, it's time to go to bed."
"Who are you?" he said.
"I'm Jane, your wife.." she said.
"Impossible. My wife has long blond hair and is very pretty."

I think of my own children, now in their early forties and I can hardly believe so much time has elapsed. But oh, the memories of raising them. How blessed were we? Now I have the joy of watching my Grandchildren grow and mature.

I often ask myself, and sometimes others, "Is it more difficult to raise children nowadays than it was in our time?" What do you think?
I get so many different responses. 'Of course it is more difficult with all the exposure to adult themes through television and technology.' 'Of course it is with drugs so freely available.'
I actually don't agree. Yes I do agree that television, technology, even drugs are huge influences and temptations, but in my day when we was raising our children there were influences and temptations as well.
It all comes down to basic obedience, morality and integrity. If these things are present in our lives it does not matter what temptations come our way.

Times and seasons come and go. That it why it is so important to live in the moment. It's good to reflect on past memories. Some will be sad, some will be wonderful. All the way along there were lessons to be learned if only we were concentrating.

I am grateful to be growing old with the love of my life. Many people do not have that privilege.
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