The time given to us…

 I love this quote from Lord of the Rings. Gandalf says it to Frodo when they are in the mines of Moria. Soon before he dies (and comes back again). He says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us.”  

We have agency. We have the time we have. And we can choose for ourselves. What a delightfully loving and beautiful thought—truth. We don’t get to choose a lot of things. But we can choose how we respond to life. And in many cases we can choose what we do with our time given our circumstances. Many times we can change our circumstances too. Not always. 

My heart has been strange for almost two weeks now. Beating strangely. Leading to extreme fatigue. But I can still choose to show love to my sweet boys and husband. I can still speak with patience and kindness. I can notice the beauty all around me. Today I saw five beautiful things. Plus more, but here are five:

The butterfly fluttering around the mint plants in the backyard.  

The white flowers that are starting to bloom near the dryer vent in her backyard. They are so delicate and beautiful!

The salsify… The plant that is growing like a weed, but is still beautiful and a native wild flower of Utah. Growing right by our garbage can.

Finn—our new very shy sweet cat who came out from under the couch today and was so sweet and fluffy.  

William’s face when he won the Venture family value award. So proud.  Lots of tears.  

I love this life.  I am very tired tonight and grateful.  Tomorrow is June 1st!