“If you have a heartbeat, there is still time for your dreams.”
Sean Stephensen, author and speaker
My wife and I live in Ohio.
Our grandson lives in California.
2,278 miles from our doorstep to his.
He wants to know how long it will take him to get here on his big wheel.
I don’t have an answer for that but I do admire his grit.
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Not long ago we made the journey to visit him for his 5th birthday. Weather canceled two departing flights and we missed a connecting flight by five minutes in Colorado. But weary gave way to joy when we finally landed in LA. And if I have to pick the most exciting event of a week full of adventure, here it is. I took a toilet paper roll and held one end to my ear, the other I placed on our grandson’s tiny chest. A moment later, I was listening to his heartbeat.
* * *
The average heart beats 115,200 times a day. And if you make it to the ripe old age of 80 that adds up to 3,363,840,000.
Wow!
Now, here is some really important information to go along with those numbers. There is no guarantee exactly how long you or I will live and how many of those heartbeats you and I are actually going to get. You can think right, act right, eat right, be right, do everything right and still, no guarantee how long your heart is going to last. Knowing this to be true ought to get our attention. So while we still have a heartbeat, here are some important questions we need to ask ourselves.
Who does your heart beat for?
What makes your heart beat just a little bit faster?
Singers and songwriters know what I’m talking about. Here are a few tunes to celebrate the heart.
You Put The Beat In My Heart by Eddie Rabbit
My Heart Skips A Beat by Buck Owens
Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat by Hermans Hermits
I Left My Heart In San Francisco by Tony Bennett
Heart And Soul by Hoagy Carmichael
Put A Little Love In Your Heart by Jackie DeShannon
Only Love Can Break A Heart by Gene Pitney
Love Me With All Your Heart by The Ray Charles Singers
Heartaches By The Number by Ray Price
Take These Chains From My Heart by Ray Charles
Your Cheatin Heart by Hank Williams
Total Eclipse Of The Heart by Bonnie Tyler
And you can see by some of those titles, the heart gets broken and bruised from time to time. That’s the way the game is played. And if you don’t take a chance on getting your heart-broken, you’ll never find true love and happiness in this life.
* * *
It’s a big deal – my heart and yours. And my prayer for you and especially my grandson is that every beat counts for joy, passion, and purpose.
theartofbecomingawildflower 