The Best is Yet to Come…

The Best, Your Best, My Best is Yet to Come. I love this. I was reminded the other day about a scene in the book, The Noticer by Andy Andrews. In the scene Jones, (AKA… The Noticer) was chatting with an elderly lady in her late 70’s. She was discouraged because she was lonely and wondered why God was still letting her live as she felt that she didn’t have much to offer the world at this stage of life. Her kids and grandkids were grown, her husband had passed, the days were long and she was just tired of living. Jones took this opportunity to ask her some questions.

““Well, look, do you believe people are here for a purpose?” She says, “Yeah.” He says, “Do you think you won’t die before your purpose has been fulfilled?” She says, “No, I think that’s right.”

Then he says, “Well, then, what you’re telling me is that the very purpose for which you were created hasn’t been fulfilled and, therefore, the very purpose for which you were born is still in front of you. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be big or grandiose, but there’s something in your future that is so significant you’re alive right now to pursue it. You’re not dead yet, and that’s because there’s a reason. There’s a future that’s bigger.”

Maybe it’s just me but I need to be reminded of this ALL the time! I am still breathing, if you are reading this then you are still breathing. The fact that we are breathing means that God is not done with us yet. Our purpose for being here on this Earth has not yet been fulfilled. Hooray!! I find this so exciting! It means that all of my past failures, mistakes, accomplishments and triumphs were the ingredients for the cake that is my life. The icing is yet to be made. It’s so easy to fall into the mindset that our best days are behind us or that since we have never really done anything significant that we probably never will.

When you are ill, lose a loved one or go through some other major tragedy it feels like, well this is it. I had my life and it was good but now it’s over and my new reality will never be as good as my old one. No, you will never be the same after you have suffered. But take a look around, everyone has suffered in one way or another. No one escapes hardship. What do you do with your new perspective on life? How do you function now that everything is different?

Get with those who have gone through similar experiences.

I have met several ladies that have walked through breast cancer. When I have things come up in my body that can’t be explained I google the symptoms and there are hundreds of women who have experienced the same thing and have written out their symptoms and how they got the relief that have helps them get through. Only those that have had a mastectomy would understand what my issues are so I seek out those who are similar to me and get the help I need.

It is a rather strange phenomenon to be totally comfortable talking about your breasts in public but it feels really normal to those who can relate. This summer while we were in Phoenix, AZ, Mr. Wonderful, Bridger and I went to a swap meet. Bridger and I were waiting for daddy and I noticed that we were standing in front of a table that had a husband and wife sitting at it promoting breast cancer awareness. I walked up to her, shook her hand and said, “I’m a survivor too.” Instant comraderie. Within 5 seconds we were discussing mastectomies and reconstruction and how long we had been survivors, (this is actually a tricky question for me, is it from the date of diagnosis or from the date of your last treatment?) Bridger began to roll his eyes and move as far away as possible from the conversation as all 10 year old boys love the idea of their mother’s discussing their breasts in public with complete strangers. As we walked away he says, “Really Mom?!” I just smiled… I’m not worried, he’ll get used to it.

Begin to Dream About What You Can Become

Now that you are so much more aware of how short life can be isn’t it time that you get out there and do the things you’ve always wanted to do? My sweet friend Taryn has 4 kids. One is in college and one is heading off next year. She has 6 more years of kids at home. That isn’t very long. She remarked the other day, “You know now that the raising of my kiddos is winding down, I have realized lately that that I have never taken the time to dream about what I would do once they are gone. I have never dreamed about what I want to do for me. My husband has lots of things that he enjoys doing and passions that he actively pursues. My children have been my passion and I wonder if I even know how to dream.”

During treatment I started writing, after treatment I started running. Just these two things have opened up joy and possibilities in my life that I could never have imagined. These are two things I can do no matter what stage of life I am in. They are things I can grow into and become better at and they can lead to all kinds of adventures that I would never have imagined 2 years ago.

I heard a quote the other day by an author named Beth Moore,

“Time isn’t running out; time is running toward.”

You have stuff to do, you have a life to be lived, you have people that need to be impacted by all that is you. Does this mean no more suffering or tears or pain? I wish I could say yes but that’s just not reality. It means that everything you go through or experience is something that is leading you to where you are supposed to be.

Use Your Experiences to Help Others.

This is a great big world that we live in. There are so many people, issues and heartache that when you look at it as a whole it all seems very overwhelming. You by yourself cannot help everyone. So take a look at what you immediately see around you and impact those closest to you with the knowledge you have gained through life’s experiences.

Raising 4 babies has made Taryn a perfect fit for the school secretary at one of our elemetary schools in town. Twice in the last month I have been talking to mama’s who have expressed how much they appreciate Taryn and love that she is at the school overseeing our kiddos. I can’t tell you how many of us have called her knowing that whatever was going on that she would tend to our most precious people in a loving and compassionate way. She has soothed our worries, helped us navigate all that is school and calmed our fears when things have gone awry. Taryn says she hasn’t dreamed but as her life continues to unfold I expect to see her continuing to love on children and helping mama’s navigate through their various stages of parenting. It’s her gift and she makes a difference every single day that she puts herself out there and chooses to love on each kiddo or parent that she comes in contact with.

The last 5 years and more intensely the last 2 years have been the hardest years of my life. Now that the fog seems to be lifting I want to take what I have learned, dream some big dreams and get out there and make my mark on the world. Because the best is yet to come!

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