It is a July morning as I am sitting at my computer writing this (Julie is reading a book). It is raining right now, but we are not dismayed. Seattle has had a lot of rain this spring and summer, so more rain is beyond annoying to many.

But, as we look out, however, our grass is green, our plants and growing and God is doing most of the water (so our water bill will be low). We can take a day off of working outside and sit quietly inside writing this and reading a good book with quiet music.

It used to be bothersome to us, when we had things we wanted to do, and something (like rain) would get in the way. We have learned, however, that life is not always about doing things. Much as we would like to get a lot of projects done (and we do have man projects to work on), relationships are more important.

We were again reminded of this recently when a good customer died without any warning. She was our age, so not old. Her health was good. No obvious problem, yet inexplicably and unexpectedly she died.  There is now a hole in the lives in her family. When we heard about it, there was a mixture of numbness and disbelief for quite a while. She was a people person, and touched many, even on a business level.

It is easy to focus on the daily things and lose sight of the truly important things. To get caught up in the present, or the urgent, and lose sight of the bigger picture. If we spend our lives in today only, reacting to what goes on around us, we will be reactive in life rather than proactive and our lives will look like a wandering rather than a journey when looked back on.

This is not to say that today is not important (it is where we live), or that rain does not get in the way (sometimes it does). Sometimes and enjoy the moment, and sometimes we need to get away and get some sun. But, do we live our lives as though they are part of a bigger picture? Or do we live them in pursuit of what we want? Are we so focused on retirement, for example, that it consumes us? Is our retirement about us finally enjoying life?

Years ago we learned that life has two sides, and we cannot always choose which side comes up. What we can choose is which side we will focus on. Years ago Julie read the story of some grandparents who had some new white carpeting installed. When the family gathered for Christmas, the grandma gave each of her grandchildren a jar of honey. One child dropped and spilled all her honey onto the new carpet. Seeing her crying, the grandma kneeled down and said, “That’s Okay, we can get you another jar.”  For many, the focus would be on the damage to the carpet and the mess to be cleaned, but this grandma focused on her family.

As the economy continues its gymnastics and politics seeks to take a larger role in our lives than it should, we must each ask ourselves what is truly important, and let that keep us focused in life.

Andy & Julie

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