tracks in the dust

Archive for the tag “tracks in the dust”

21 Jan 2014

Songs About “Time”

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” – Henry Van Dyke

Coming up on my the end of my 2nd year of posting to “tracks in the dust” and I think I have shared my thoughts a lot on time and its passages. It is truly thinking through the concept of the idea of our tracks we leave behind us in our lives. Each day,each hour we have during our mission here on earth, time passes and we have less of it until that moment our life ends in this form.

Time is something no one can change once it has passed, and everyone is subject to it in the moment that is “now”.

There are so much said on the blogs here in WordPress, so many books written about it, so many songs ( there I am again in the musical mode). It is

We all are subject to the changes that time deals out. It changes everything – except that when it tries to change us we seem to so often be surprised. Go figure I guess.

We all understand that there is no way to stop the clock and wait for things, as much as we sometimes wish. Like stopping a terminal illness until a cure, it won’t happen. It is 5 years since my cancer surgery and start of radiation treatments and time has been kind. I have been blessed that the ongoing treatments invented to help fight the disease are helping, and that while I am surviving as new things are being discovered to help further fight it. Count on the fact there will always be that race.

My kids will often wish that time would hurry, so they could get to the next thing in their lives. Live for the big event, live for the weekend. Look out toward the horizon. But they stop looking at the “now” and cherishing what that is. I think that comes with age (maybe) or the wisdom that is provided us by the life we live and the perils in it.

Which all leads up to the point I have made again and again. The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.

Enjoying while you can. It is yours to spend until the end… time waits for no one.

Some of my favorite songs about time:

Ambrosia: Time Waits for No One

Al Stewart: Time Passages

02 Jan 2014

7 Comments

A Song Called “I Can Sleep Again”

I am sharing a song that was written by our children as a gift. Our children are the most precious things my wife and I have in our lives. This is a very special gift. Take a listen.

They are all over 20 years old and have found directions in their lives that are making them become the adults we had hoped they would become. They are also very much into music (much like their dad). This holiday 2 of our sons and our daughter were all at home and had time to visit with each other and remind themselves and us that they are truly brothers and sister in a family that loves each other.

During their time they created this song ( in the span of 2 days) . It is 4 1/2 minutes long and created on the spot during their visit. It is a song about “finding your way back” with the help of someone you love. Beautiful. Some production work from my son Ryan on his PC and it was presented to my wife and I. It has become the greatest Christmas gift we could ask for.

It will never be a top-hit on tomorrows Billboard charts, but it is something that we will always cherish.

If you can stream it and choose to find the time to indulge, I appreciate your listening. Just wanted to share it because I am very proud.

It's a song called "I Can Sleep Again" 
(© 2013 Ryan, Greg and Jennifer Gertenbach)

Posted in Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Anthony Green, Arts, choices, Creating Music, Don't Let Go, Faith, Family, Finding Your Way Back, Life Soundtrack, Memories, mental-health, Music, Never Letting Go, Poetry, Rock music, Songs, Songs About Changes, Songs About Not Giving Up, Special Gifts, tracks in the dust

18 Nov 2013

Embrace the Journey

When I was a child I remember fondly the idea that my family was going on a “vacation” – a road trip.

There was an excitement about the “journey” and all that came with it. Sure there was the superhighway, but there was also roadside stops. Places along the way to stop. The restaurants strategically placed, the car-parks to stop, attractions worthwhile to get out of the car. There was “time” actually… at least it seemed to be more of it.

We may be weren’t as much in a hurry back then it seems. We had interest in what was going by the windows as we drove by. “Getting there” was still important, but taking a planned detour… heading down a rural route, was just as important.

Which is why I sometimes ponder what makes me in such a “hurry”. Perhaps it is because everything is instant these days. In my life seems like most inventions have all designed to be moving things along quicker. Faster cars, faster cooking, faster Internet with faster search engines, faster travel, faster answers.

Even the movies we watch are faster. Watching an “old” mystery movie the other nite with my daughter from 1995 (gasp) it was amazing how slow the plot moved, how slow the dialog moved. We both noticed. My daughter was wondering if people were just slower back in ’95. We both were thinking that we hit the FF button we could get to the mysterious conclusion.

Guess its time to work on slowing things down a bit. Cherish the journey. I have been so busy thinking about being in a hurry at work, that I have even ignored the most important person in my life, the love of my life, and hurt her more than I can imagine. Just thinking about how to get the job done at work I have missed what is around me. What’s with that?

How many things have you let pass by because you were so focused on the destination?

How often have you missed the most interesting things in your life as you drove ahead to reach where you thought you needed to be?

Embrace the journey. Bring your loved ones with you. Take life’s trip, but take some time to stop along the way and enjoy the ride.

Detour. (jcolbear03.wordpress.com)

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged cherish, choices, Embrace the Journey, Faith, life is precious, moments, Moving too fast, Postive Thinking, Self-Awareness, Slow Down, tracks in the dust

15 Nov 2013

2 Comments

Wearing A Disguise

I think there is always something to be considered about how people see each other, but how we see ourselves may be even more of a challenge.

We can see the outer people in our lives. We see what people want us to see. But it could be that we are practicing what we are in the process. Perhaps we want to conjure up an image of what we think other people want us to be.

But in the end that it seems to be really hard to keep doing. We can take life as “what it is” – and be what we are without wearing a disguise. Our potential to be someone significant may be at risk, getting approval from all of those around us. But maybe we could have more time to just be something important to ourselves. What other people think is going to have to suffice to just “be”.

Maybe they won’t like us, or maybe they aren’t going to care. What a shock that would be, but then perhaps we should ask the question: do we like ourselves.

Be true to yourself – be sure you know who and what you are. Seems so darned easy, and yet often we can work hard to try to be what others think we should be. And then we convince ourselves that we are that person.

Related Tracks Posts

Who Are You?

What it is to be Authentic

Posted in Doing Things That Will Change Your Life, Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Acceptance, being remembered, Being Yourself, choices, Faith, Personality, Postive Thinking, Self-Awareness, tracks in the dust, Who Are You

05 Nov 2013

A Simple Grain Of Sand

I have learned, never take a day for granted. My dad used to say “the world is your oyster”. There are plenty of pearls I suppose out there. But it all starts with a grain of sand.

Microscopic view of sand on the beach

Our lives have to mean something while we are here on earth. The one grain of truth can be shared to make a beautiful thing or can ignite hate and fear. One simple thought can generate the grace of the spirit or it could be something that contributes to the darkness of wasted time and an energy that leads nowhere.

So we have a choice, to make the best of each day whether it starts with the smallest things or is full of events that make up your life. Staying at home behind your doors and drowning in the circumstance of life can waste away the gift of the time we have and wear away at the spirit of our being.

So whatever life we have left ( a minute, a day, a year, many years?) is ours to do with what we want. Choose grace. Choose to let each grain of sand become a pearl that will last much longer than you will be allowed. It is what matters most I think. Of course that depends on your perspective.