Timeline

We all measure time in different ways.  Some measure it minute-by-minute as they anxiously try to get a tired child to sleep at night or wait for the arrival of a loved one after a period of separation.  Some measure time hour-by-hour - as they slog through another day at work; just hanging on till quitting time.  Some measure it month-by-month as they plan and count down to that special day they have longed for their whole lives.

I realized this morning that one way I measure time is season-by-season.  The coffee mugs that adorn my office tell that story.  My timeline progresses from left to right in the picture below. 

First, was a generic red coffee mug I must have picked up at Crate and Barrel or some place like that.  The mug was purchased shortly after taking my most recent job years ago.  It features a huge capacity - which was required to keep my caffeine levels high while I chased my kids through high school and college.

The second mug is like an old friend to me.  It is a Guinness mug, purchased in Ireland while we visited Joel as he was studying abroad. It reminds me daily of Joel. When I look at that white band around the rim and the deep caramel color I can't help but smile as I recall sitting in a pub in Galway Ireland while sharing a bittersweet glass as he regaled me with stories of his adventures there. It warms my spirit to have it around.

The third mug is a visual reminder of my red-headed spitfire daughter. It is big - like her personality; a metaphor for her endless potential, and has served me well for the last few years. This mug has been the impetus for a thousand questions (e.g., 'did you go to Cal?') and provides me endless opportunities to dote on my daughter with my colleagues and customers.

And finally, this is the newest mug on my unique timeline:

I purchased this mug over the Christmas break in Ann Arbor, Michigan when I returned to my alma mater to watch a women's basketball game and hang with my future son-in-law's family. This mug is just the perfect size and its shape - jutting out at the rim - makes it feel so comfortable in my hand.

This mug represents a juxtaposition of old and new;  my past and my present. Going back to this place stirred up strong emotions for me. This was the place I worked hard to receive an education that would form the basis of my professional life. It was the place I cheered my beloved Wolverines; watching them vanquish all foes.  It was the place I proposed to my lovely wife of 30 years after an exciting win over Notre Dame.  It was the place I bought my first personal computer. It was the place Julie and I first lived as a married couple. It was the place we left to embark together on an unknown life in California. And this was the place God placed and prepared my future son-in-law so that he could meet Hannah during a summer internship at Stryker Endoscopy in San Jose, California.

Yes,  I look at that hot cup of coffee and it serves as a poignant  reminder of the hours and hours I spent working to pay my way through college - and studying to create a future for myself.  Believe me - I drank a lot of coffee to get through those lean years and sleepless nights.  Those years formed a solid base for the rest of my life.

But after I filled it this morning with piping hot coffee - it was the wisps of steam that caught my attention; dancing just above the liquid for a moment and then rising to disperse. The present is fleeting. It is like vapor - here for a moment - then escaping into the wind - never to be experienced again.  My hope is that this mug keeps me focused on that reality; grounded in the past but focused on the present.