Fortune 500 by Susan L.

  Today is my five hundredth post. Never in a million years did I think my blog would run so long. I had no idea there was so much to be written about and shared when this project began as a spur of the moment decision. April 2014 must be a milestone month. It leaves me to wonder what other good things will happen and yes, I am trying to view turning fifty in a couple of weeks as a good thing!
  Life on this beautiful big ball of a planet tends to be measured in milestones doesn't it? Anniversaries, our first job, graduation, and marriage are all part of the fabric of our lives. There are other difficult milestones for some of us like divorce. The reality of our brief human existence surfaces when we come face to face with the mortality of our loved ones. I think we measure our lives in events because we are mortal. The passage of time holds great significance.
  Even in our daily lives, the clock plays a huge part of what we do and dictates when we do. Putting the kids on the bus for school, leaving for work, lunchtime, dinner time, bed time...the stuff that fills the day becomes a twenty-four hour routine. Each day of the week also dictates routine. It's always nice to sleep in on a Saturday morning, unless your child plays hockey and needs to be at the arena for a 6 AM practice. That alarm clock is lucky it isn't tossed across the room with a vengeance.
  Time is part of our language. We have countless expressions. "Time's a-wasting." "Out of time." "Time flies when you're having fun." "What time is it anyways?" We rush through everything like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. "I'm late! I'm late!"
  The first clocks were the sole domain of the monasteries and used bells to call the monks to prayer throughout the day. How many of us incorporate prayer into our lives on a regular basis? It doesn't have to be like the monks because taking the time to smell the roses, to be grateful is as much a prayer as an Our Father. Or what about taking a moment for quiet contemplation? A life with the Lord is about slowing down. It's about finding and celebrating what's important to us as an individual. It's about searching and knowing and discovering wisdom, patience and grace. 
  Milestones come and go. The Lord is eternal and wants us to be part of His world, His plan, His timetable. It's about embracing His forever love. No experience necessary. If you don't know the Lord, please, think about inviting Jesus into your heart. There's no time like the present.
  "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:3-4