if i had my life to live over

Today in my Introduction to Family Processes class we talked about some things that got me pondering about life. Here is what brought my deep thoughts.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

by Erma Bombeck

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television- and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's"..More "I'm sorrys"...

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it... live it... and never give it back.

This got me thinking. What is it going to be like to look back on life here on earth after it is over? What things would I want to go back and change? My life is young but with that being said… what can I change now to be more grateful for my life?

I have an image in my mind of what the pre-existence might have been like. I can imagine we were learning and preparing to come down to earth in all sorts of ways. We were getting ready to come to earth!! We were nervous but of course excited. Some may have been a little more nervous than others. Maybe some were scared it would be too hard. I’m sure others were fully ready to take on the world. Of course we knew it was going to be hard. We knew that. But I can just imagine that we were SO excited for our long awaited opportunity to final come to earth!

Maybe we would talk to each other about the big things we were going to do here. Or about how grateful we were to even have the opportunity to come. And what about getting a body!?! Can you imagine that anticipation to finally get a body? We probably had some idea what it would be like, but could we REALLY comprehend it? I bet we marveled at the thought of having a body that was all ours and that it was our responsibility (when we are older old enough) to take care of it. We knew that our bodies were a marvelous creation. It’s amazing how our bodies work!! Only God himself could create such a thing!! We wanted to be apart of that and I don’t think we were too worried about what our body would look like because it would be ours. Some were so excited to get a body that they were willing to only have it for a day. We came here to gain a body of flesh and bones!! So isn’t great that we finally have one!?

Have you ever wanted something really bad and waiting for it seemed like eternity? And then you finally get what you were waiting for, do you stop and take a minute to be grateful? Here what I mean. When I was little, I loved Lagoon. I would say things like “I can't wait to go to Lagoon!” Then, when I did go to Lagoon, I would think to myself, “I’m at Lagoon! I’ve waited for this for ever and I’m here!” I do it all the time, whether it's Christmas or with summer time or when I miss someone. When I finally get to be with that person I think “I’ve wanted to see them and here I am, next to them right now!” I know that in the pre-existence we were excited to come to earth. We waited for a long time and the anticipation was great! But guess what! We’re living it right now! We're right in the middle of it! It’s going to pass us by before we know it, so even though life is hard we need to stop and think about how we waited for this very moment! I know need to be grateful and just stop and soak in all of the beauty around me.

With my blue and white personality traits, I dream big but sometimes I don't follow through. But I’m not always like that and I don’t have to be. Today while we were reading this poem I just had a lot of thoughts about what I want to do with my life. And I CAN do great things! Since I’ve started college I’ve had to come out of my shell a little bit. I've had the opportunity to expound on my thoughts rather than just doubting myself. And even though I'm at a University with 30,000 smart and talented people, I still have a lot to offer! Also, I've gained an even greater testimony that with His help I can do ANYTHING!!!

Life is great and we need to live it to its fullest!! Later we will look back at our life. Most of all we need to be grateful for everything around us! And just for the chance we have to be here!