Busy, busy, busy? Find time to enjoy life

A loaf of bread fell from a bakery truck, hit the pavement and a crumb broke off. Three birds swooped down on the crumb and began fighting over it. One bird finally succeeded in flying off with the crumb. The two others were in close pursuit.

A series of frenzied aerial maneuvers followed, until the crumb was at last consumed by one bird. The loaf was untouched! Only the crumb had been seen by the three birds to fight over, because they lacked vision and had only greed. If only they had seen the whole loaf or the bigger picture, all could have been satisfied.

How true is that story about so many of us? We are too busy to get to the banquet of the king, as mentioned in the Gospel, or to take the time to dress properly for that banquet. If you dare to stop and notice, most of us, when asked how we respond, both by sight and word: BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

The real question is, “Busy about what?” The need, in this beautiful season of autumn, is to not be as frantic or chronically overscheduled. A real problem for many is even to take the time to RSVP to an invitation or to stop and write a short thank you note for a great banquet.

At the time of serious sickness or death, you so often hear people say, “If only.” Well, this is the “if only” week to stop and note the beauty of life all about us, and God’s daily invitation to enjoy life, not rush through it.

The Prophet Isaiah said the Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and that the Lord is here to save us. We must stop and look and behold Him and rejoice and be glad that He has saved us.

St. Paul writes to the Philippians that we know how to live in humble circumstances, and also how to live in abundance, as God supplies for all and to Him be glory forever and ever. We all need to stop and not fight over the crumbs of life, when the large loaf of bread is there for all to share.

Life is passing us by and our chance for closer loving relationships within families or friends takes time and effort to talk, listen and share not be too busy for interpersonal relationship with God and neighbor.

When we do not take the time for the banquets of life by eating and sharing and talking together, we miss the chance to be real, understood and enjoy the one-onone of human life.

We are so busy that we are a lot like the husband who went to buy a birthday gift for his wife. He had invited some friends over that night to celebrate her 40th and he wanted to get something special for her. At the store, he spotted some cute little music boxes, and one red one was playing “Happy Birthday.”

Being busy, in a rush and thinking they were all the same, he chose a blue one, his wife’s favorite color, and had it giftwrapped. Later, at the dinner party he gave it to her, and when she opened it and lifted the lid, out came the tune “The Old Gray Mare, She Ain’t What She Used to Be.”

How he wished he had not been to busy to check the blue box.