This last couple of weeks have been difficult in ways I wasn't really prepared for. Anyone who knows me well will know that my mum has been ill for quite a long time. She was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease when she was about 40 years old. This year she celebrates her 70th birthday. Like many people mum has been a constant support and strength to me for as long as I have been a musician. She believed in me when no else did. I now find that she has reached yet another major crossroads in her life. On top of this two days ago her beloved brother David died after a battle with cancer.
At times like this it's difficult not to reflect on your own life and how it should be approached. I find it so easy to become preoccupied with the latest project, often at the expense of the most important people in my life. My family. If I said they always came first it would be a lie. Instead the opposite is often the case. There's almost an unwritten expectation that they will wait for me until I've finished. But the stark truth is after each project finishes, another begins. Garth Brooks said right when he penned, "If tomorrow never comes, would she know how much I loved her?"
How we use our time, how we fill our time will make an impact on all those around us. I can spend every minute of every day chasing the dream, but at times like these I find it helpful to remember the words from Ecclesiastes 3 verse 14 "I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it." God knows our waking and our sleeping. He knows our hearts desire. But more importantly ho knows what he made us for. Chasing the dream may lead to a fantastic future - for very few people. Seeking Gods plan for our lives will lead us to fulfilment. I know that God gave me a family before he gave me music and maybe these times a reminder to get my priorities right. Maybe someone reading this is feeling this too. I pray that you will find peace in your journey through life. I pray you will allow God to guide you in this journey. I wish you joy.