Carter's Baby Clothes

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:33-34 ESV). While our grandchildren no longer fit into the demographic size group reached by stores like “Baby Gap” or “Carters” Mary can’t seem to stop from making the detour into these stores to see what “cute clothes” they may have in stock. I think it is a grandma thing. Before the kids were born, she made it her personal mission to clothe the twins for their first year, before they even make their appearance! Kyle even had to construct extra closet rods for the outfits she had acquired! Many years ago we were out with David helping him get some new clothes for work and Mary could not resist a detour through “Baby Gap.” I did remind her that they didn’t have David’s sizes in that section of the store, but to no avail. As we oohed and aahed through the cute little clothes, she said, “Carter makes some of the best baby clothes.” I do remember somewhere from my past some of their ads. Seems like their promotional line was "If they could only stay little 'til their Carter's wear out." And that made me think of today’s reading. The truth is that if we could only grasp the beauty of our lives and enjoy every minute we would all be better for it. October brings in the fairs and carnivals of fall. I remember when we lived in Weatherford, Texas there was a traveling carnival that came each year for a few days on our trade days’ grounds. They had several rides to offer, one of which was a very large Ferris wheel. The children lined up to ride this attraction. Their gleeful laughter could be heard above the din of carnival music and shouting barkers. It was quite a sight. Round and round they went on an extended ride as the Ferris wheel guy forgot time while chatting with a friend. The children laughed and enjoyed each other. We all wanted to hold them there, frozen in time on the Ferris wheel, forever going round and never growing another minute older. But the Ferris wheel stopped, as it should, and they get off and we go on, because that is the way life is. If time really did stand still as we sometimes wish it would, well, we wouldn't want that either. When we find ourselves in the middle of a pleasant experience it is easy to wish for it to last forever. It is only our fear of the unknown and what might happen that keeps us frozen in the present. In fact, that fear of tomorrow robs us of the fullness of the present moment. Life is full of good and bad experiences. Through all of them the one constant is our heavenly Father’s love for us. He has prepared our future for us. It will be good. Enjoy the pleasant experiences of the present. Persevere through the difficult experiences or the present. And, know that God will take care of you in every way!