The phone rings.  We called the ambulance to take your mother to the hospital. The ring of one phone call can change one's whole morning.

Today is one of those days that I am aware of how quickly our lives can change.  We are all just one phone call, one letter, one disaster or one encounter away from a daily or life changing disruption.   At times our lives go plugging along and then in an instant- change.

Certainly the people of Brussels or Paris or San Bernardino or Newtown or Boston or Oklahoma City or New York City know all about that.  Certainly people who receive the phone call about their child’s accident,  a loved one’s medical condition, or a call from a despondent friend know about that.

Things happen in our lives that are unplanned and unexpected. Sometimes the results are disastrous and tragic other times they are annoying and temporarily disruptive. 

Once again I am reminded to not take any day or any time for granted.  I need to appreciate the moments spent in the company of friends and loved ones. I am also reminded not to procrastinate nor put off doing things that I should, could, or would be doing.  How many times do I think, “I’ll do that later.”  Yet the later never comes or it is pushed even further along in time due to unforeseen circumstances.

The other thing that I am reminded is that I need to keep wiggle room into my schedule. It is not a good practice to have a jammed packed life without any breathing space.  If you do not think your life is over scheduled, consider this-  If you had to cancel and change every obligation for a day, a few days or a week, what would that look like?  Would it only take a couple of emails or phone calls or would it be like the coordination of the D-Day invasion? 

I am finally reminded that change can be both ways- negative or positive.  It seems that we focus so much on the instant change from disaster that we forget that there can be instant changes for the better.  We are expecting, We are getting married, I got a new job,  I have an interview. We bought a house, I won an award, I got accepted at…  

Makes me think of spring and the emergence of the buds, flowers and the plants back to their growing state. In looking at our backyard these winter months, I see the same picture:  empty branches of the hydrangea bushes, brown mulch, faded green grass.  It seems as if it doesn't take much for the branches to start pushing forth with new growth, bulbous tips and eventually new leaves and blossoms. 

When we feel discouraged about the changes and plans both in the world and in our own lives, I think we need to to remember the spring.  Just as bad things can rapidly deteriorate, so can good things accelerate and happen.  Just like the quince bush that shows some hint of color, then bulbous branches and full blown flowers almost overnight, so can good news appear out of nowhere. We need to be prepared to receive it, to be grateful for it and to enjoy it.