Time

I started reading Einstein's Dreams, a novel by Alan Lightman, and had the urge to write a short essay on the subject. The book tells of instances where Time is affected in different ways and how the people of a certain town react to these new laws. What I have written is not necessarily about the book; merely an essay about Time itself and some of my random thoughts about it. I hope you enjoy reading it and that it provokes you yourself to think. Think about how you ultimately wish to spend the Time you are given.

Time

By Kelly Coquerel

It is an interesting concept in which we are bound. In this day, we can leave a country, explore the ocean, change our circumstances, choose an identity, overcome an addiction, and even travel outside our own planet. We are rarely prisoners except by choice. But no one can escape Time. We are all bound by it. We are subject to its law. It cannot be overpowered or controlled, and it moves by its own will.

It is not only humans who are under its will; it is beasts and plants and the inanimate. They age and grow and die and wear. Chaos is the goal of Time; its one motive. It leads everything to this end. The Elements cannot exist without Time, for in order for them to affect anything, they must have a path and a sequence from which to continue. And it is not just Earth that is at Time’s beck and call. All the planets and all the universe and all within our realm of possibility and existence cannot, in fact, exist except by Time.

Knowing the nature of Time, at least our minuscule understanding of it, how should we react? Knowing that its goal is for us to wear out and extinguish, do we bother with our own goals that will not really matter in the end or do we cherish dearly what Time does give us? Do we make haste in all that we do in order to make the most of that brief gift, or do we linger in every moment and enjoy it to its fullest because we know it will not last long? Do we hold on to what has been done, to what Time has already taken? Will we seek vengeance over these things? Will we learn from them? Or will we look to what Time has not yet offered and spend the present in anticipation of what is to come, constantly preparing, dreaming, wondering? Or will we acknowledge the present in its simplicity of its brevity? Do we grab hold of that gift of Time and cherish it and live it to the best of our abilities, appreciating our great fortune in having that very individual moment?

Will we ever be freed from this master? Not until it decides to free us. Then where are we? We are not in existence; or at least an existence which our minds can fathom; not an existence which our fleeting experiences could be of any use. How, then, can we overcome it? We cannot. But we can embrace it. We can accept it. And we can make the best of it.

A friend of mine sent me an email today that contained a very sweet story. I want to post it here as a bit of encouragement to go out of your way to do something nice for someone.

"No one has ever become poor by giving."

-Anne Frank

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

- Winston Churchill

A child & her dog . . .

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,

Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.I hope you will play with her... She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love,

Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much...By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,

God

Well, it looks like I have a little catching up to do. I've had a pretty busy summer thus far and have not posted any of it!

Let's see, we had my aunt and uncle over back in May when we planned to go camping in the Okeefenokee Swamp. Those plans had to be changed when Debbie got sick, but no worries. We learned that it had been raining there anyway, so the trip would not have been very enjoyable anyway. We had a nice time just hanging out.

I went to two friends' graduation party the weekend after that. Congratulations 2009 Graduates!

Realizing the need for me to make some money, I traveled to work with my mom a few different times to help unscramble her brain and carry out some other helpful tasks.

Six Flags! That was fun, and it was nice to hang out with old friends I hadn't seen in awhile, despite the somewhat dismal weather.

I went on a very nice picnic with my family where we sat beside a creek in a national forest. It was beautiful and the temperature was just right under the shade of the trees.

Watched a few movies including The Women, Mall Cop, Mulan, Swing Vote, and The Lady in the Water. Went to the pool a few different times with friends. I have also been making jewelry a lot more. It's a hobby of mine. I also went fencing, another hobby of mine, and got quite a workout.

So, that is the update on my Summer thus far. Hopefully successive posts will not turn out to be so lengthy.

Until next time,

Kelly

My First Post

Alright! I finally made a blogspot. I haven't really been into blogging much, but it's always a good time to start. I'll use this first post to say a little about myself. I am 19 years old right now and currently a college student. I have a pretty optimistic perspective on life and am a typically happy person. I am really a little kid at heart and like to enjoy life as a child would while also being aware of my responsibilities. I have a wonderful family and great friends, and I look forward to making more friends. I feel that life is about love, and what better way to express that than to love life! God is love, and when we love, we are experiencing God. I hope my blogspot encourages people and portrays the optimism that I feel. Don't be shy about leaving me messages.

Until next time,

Kelly