send out an email with a few pictures that I haven't seen for a very long time. They were picture from our 1991 city All-star baseball team. We were both 15 years old and thought we were pretty tough.It is funny how things like this make you feel nostalgic for the "good ol' days", the days when life was a little more simple, back when I actually used to wish the summers would more quickly because I was so bored, and when naps were something I tried to avoid.
Sometimes, in the craziness of life, I think it is natural for us to wish for those simpler days. We look at the challenges or trials we are facing and want to just make it all go away and escape or at least make it slow down a little bit. I think we all have felt or are feeling this way, I know it applies to me.
I just returned home from a quick trip to Arizona where I had the chance to spend some time with Grandma Christensen. I had hoped to spend about fifteen minutes, but ended up chatting with her for almost two hours. I will never forget the stories she told me about our mom, about her challenges of raising a young family, of the challenges they had to overcome, of their successes and their struggles. She spoke with an easy pride about her family, about the people they are and who we have become. 
Just speaking with her made me never want to do another thing in my life that would violate her grand vision of who we are and what we represent to her.After speaking with her, my mind centered on the experience and I found myself thinking about where I am in my life and if I will be able to say the things that she said when (and if) I reach her age. What do I really want out of my life? Who is the person that I really want to be? What legacy am I going to leave behind? These are very deep questions for a very simple mind like mine and it struggled to boil it down to something I could understand.
When I finally got home after yet another very difficult experience at JFK airport (the worst airport in the US), I came across a quote that Katie had tacked to the refrigerator. It said:
"Don't cry because its over; smile because it happened."
This quote summed up perfectly my feelings. Looking at our past with a smile and with the insight born of experience is wise. Longing so much for days past that we miss the present is not. The present of today is our past of tomorrow. Living each day to its fullest, experiencing all that we can now, finding a way to be happy now, and not letting anyone or anything rob you of living in the present ensures your future years will be full of happy memories. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to speak with Grandma and be reminded of this yet again. 
Live today, prepare for tomorrow, and let life's past experiences bring value perspective and flavor to your life.
Just like everyone, I have experienced the highs and lows of life. I am experiencing them now and I am sure I will experience them again in the future. I think that the trick is never taking yourself too seriously, always realizing that things will work out one way or another, and always trying to live so that your mom would be proud of you. Maybe it is just that simple.
I am getting off my soapbox now, thanks for
listening.
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