Norfords' Ramblings

Saturday January 24, 2009

Make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5.

Time zones sometimes change the day that I’m writing. It is about 5.30 am Sunday in England as I write, but this blog will show up as yesterday, probably because the source for the blog is in Western Canada. So today I can do what I wanted to do yesterday, because it is still yesterday. Or put another way, what you read here is what I am going to write tomorrow—a bit like reading tomorrow’s newspaper. It reminds me of the times we flew to New Zealand. By crossing the International Date Line, we lose a day—fly out Monday overnight and arrive Wednesday. Of course flying back, we gain the day back, fly out Monday and arrive Monday—often earlier than we left.

If that has your head spinning, it makes my stomach churn, because the time difference that creates jet lag leaves my stomach back home. As our girls fly in this Tuesday, Alex and her two year old Luciano will have a five hour difference from Eastern Canada. Karen has a seven hour difference from Western Canada, and Heather, poor girl, is facing twelve hours from New Zealand. New Zealand is dead opposite England on the globe, so whichever way you travel between the two the distance is the same.

Why make all that effort? The great effort the girls and some grandchildren are making to be with us in England and the time we give here is because we want to “make the most of every opportunity.” It is a great time to be together in the land of our birth and may be the last opportunity. Using every opportunity, despite the effort involved, not only creates great memories, but ensures we leave behind a meaningful legacy for others.