This past Monday, several of us…okay no…three of us, dressed up for Halloween…don’t hate please. We chose to dress up in 80s attire. Initially my idea was to follow our radio station (I work for a group of stations and we cover just about every decade and genre) and pick some ideas from the 80s, 90s, and so on. My co-workers thought that was a great idea but after a little conversation we went for 80s. After all, it is a decade we all knew well.
After realizing I really didn’t have a lot of my old 80s attire left (other than some rock concert t-shirts) I did what most retro costumers do…I went to the thrift store. As I looked through the racks, my mind looked back into wherever the mind goes, and I tried to find something that fit into my memories. And wow, once memories dig in…look out.
This isn’t exactly about my costume. It is about the changes I’ve been through. Changes we’ve all been through. You know how you look at your children and wonder where the years have gone? The years are ticking by for us too. Back in the 80s I was a teenager and near the end entered age 20. My teen years were incredibly sheltered…my 20s not so much. I dipped my toe in the pool and then dove in. Up until recently I lived with a lot of regret over how I spent my past. I felt like I wasted a lot of time. I was on a certain track that followed along with my peers and then I took a sharp left.
I got stuck there for a moment. Regretting my past. Wishing that my husband and I were celebrating a huge wedding anniversary like some of my old school friends (not that heading towards 10 years is bad). Wishing I had been a little more focused and career oriented. Wishing that I had taken steps that I hadn’t. I felt that familiar pang in my heart that followed the feeling of being a failure.
But God snapped me out of it.
I went through what I did for a reason. The direction my life went in was no surprise to God. He gets it and he understands. I picked up a lot of wonderful gifts along the way…like my son, empathy, kindness, strength, a powerful relationship with God, various friends and some crazy memories. Nothing is wasted. Not one thing. I have not missed out on God’s plan for my life. It is still unfolding now.
Your’s is too.
As I finish this, the Chicago Cubs just won the Word Series!
Good time to end this post. Congrats Cubs!
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