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My husband and granddaughter have a code. With the aid of my daughter, Jules likes to call her "Pappy" on the way to or from preschool. When she arrives at school or feels the conversation is complete, Jules emphatically states, "Pause." The tradition has passed to other members of our family, and we now utter "Pause!" as well.
I regularly go to the grocery store, usually to pick up a last-minute item or hurriedly search for needed supplies. Today, I leisurely roamed from aisle to aisle, carefully choosing favorite foods and appreciating the variety of choices. I could mentally hear Jules reminding me to pause.
I am "working on" my fourth retirement. I have completed various assignments, intending to step back but then new opportunities present themselves. This time, however, retirement is starting to "take." I have always enjoyed my career and work activities but have sometimes filled my plate a bit too full. Now I am taking a bit off. Again, Jules' word echoes: pause.
My dad, although a dedicated and committed businessman, always had time to "stop and smell the roses." Our dinners in restaurants were sometimes delayed because he wanted to get to know our waiter or waitress. Games of chess or Scrabble would last much longer than expected because he contemplated every move. He chose a different route each time we traveled to relatives, so he could meander through new settings. He would have appreciated the invitation of his great-granddaughter to pause!
To say our world is chaotic and rushed is a vast understatement. To consider the statistics related to stress is to see the consequence of speed, hurry, and inattentiveness to what really matters. We need to hear that whispered invitation. Pause!
In 2008 I began doctoral studies. My focus was on Sabbath. The Sabbath is a day each week to set aside labor and rest in God. It encompasses times of worship: spending time with God and loved ones, resting and renewing. We hear again: pause!
To pause, for me, means to listen intently, look closely, spend time wisely, appreciate the rich opportunities of life, and savor each moment. We vary in income, background, family size, and place of education or employment. But we each have twenty-four hours a day. As we consider how to spend those hours, may we hear the advice of an enthusiastic three-year-old: pause!
Barb Yorks, First Presbyterian Church, Lewisburg