There’s one thing that is consistent
And that one thing is change—
When all your dreams turn upside down
And plans all rearrange.

For babies aren’t small forever
And flowers all surely fade;
Summer gives way to winter,
For time cannot be stayed.

Youth just want to fit in
And be admired by their peers.
“If only I were. . .” is a phrase
That often plagues these years.

Young adults hope for money,
Stability, love, and time.
Their lives are spinning circles
In a never-ending rhyme. . .

For babies aren’t small forever
And flowers all surely fade;
Summer gives way to winter,
For time cannot be stayed.

Busy parents of teenage kids
Often question humanity,
Wondering if they were once like them—
So consumed with vanity.

The elderly have perspective
But increased trials too.
They can’t enjoy—for aches and pains—
The things they used to do.

For babies aren’t small forever
And flowers all surely fade;
Summer gives way to winter,
For time cannot be stayed.

What then is the golden ticket?
What would Wisdom have us know?
What is the key to conquest
In our toils here below?

For all you’ll have is nothing
But a soul of empty sorrow,
If you wait to start your living,
Always hoping for tomorrow.

For babies aren’t small forever
And flowers all surely fade;
Summer gives way to winter,
For time cannot be stayed.

So pause to love another,
And lift them on their way.
Find joy throughout the journey
And learn to live today!

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I am the type of person that doesn’t like a lot of change.  I like consistency (not complacency—there is a very big difference).  However, mortality is synonymous with change.  You are born, grow, and die.  Nature itself is under constant change.  Things break down and decay.  Trends change, fashions change, social values change, economies change, nations come and go.  As the saying says, “The only thing constant is change.” 

Yet “men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).  If that is true, then we must “find joy in the journey.”   We must learn that “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain” (Vivian Greene). If every stage of life brings change, then we should look for the good in each.  For me, I catch myself frequently looking at the future and thinking things will be better then.  The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.  Frequently, though, I waste too much time wishing I were on the other side of the fence only to get there and realize it really wasn’t so bad where I was.  Besides, to paraphrase a quote, if we only live for the future, we will find that we have a lot of empty yesterdays today. 

I have learned that the best way to find joy in the here and now and how to live today to the fullest is to love others and look for ways to lift and bless their lives.  As we do so, we overcome the self-pity and selfishness that rob us of joy.  We realize that we are not alone in our trials and often find that others face obstacles far more trying then our own.  Throughout this poem I wanted to emphasis the constant march of time to remind us all to not delay in living today.  For if we do, the baby will be grown, the flowers wilted, and the summer past. 

So get living—today!

Written: May 22, 2016