Its About Everything

We have a desk in our kitchen and as I sit down to write, late in the afternoon on a Sunday, I realize I have nothing to write about. So I guess today’s Monday Message is about nothing.

Sometimes the ideas come easy and the words flow. Other times, like now, I am lost. So I look out the window towards the golf course behind our house and notice that the red roses in our planter are suddenly in full bloom. Despite the sun drifting low in the sky, the roses are still bursting with color. I am reminded that roses are beautiful, but they are weak and fragile, and they are unfortunately temporary.

Looking past the roses is a magnificent Oak Tree. It must be 60’ high and at least 50’ wide. A truly beautiful specimen that might be close to a hundred years old. It is the opposite of a rose, large enough to hold hundreds of birds at one time and sturdy enough to withstand our Santa Ana winds. Surely a symbol of the strength and creativity of Mother Nature, and not so temporary.

Then I look past the Oak Tree, and I see the most beautiful sight of all. Late in the day, with no one around on the golf course, a father and son are playing catch with a baseball. It makes me smile to watch them laugh and play and bond. And I am reminded that although I may have been fragile and weak when I was young, I became sturdy and strong as a man. And the strength of my faith guarantees me that while my life on this earth may be temporary, I will live on.

So maybe this story isn’t about nothing after all. Maybe it’s about everything.

“You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry.

And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

~ Walter Hagen, American Professional Golfer