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I Lost My 23rd Year

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I Lost My 23rd Year

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by Arlene Ledbetter

Afew weeks, before his twenty-fourth birthday, my son Joseph called from Iraq. He said, “Mama, I don’t want to be here anymore. I want this war to be over so I can come home, marry Hannah and start my life. I feel like I’ve pretty much lost my 23rd year.”

Joseph served five years with the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. Before his one-year deployment to the Middle East, he often called to tell me about training on some new weapon or to describe the rush he felt each time he jumped from the belly of a plane. After a year of sand storms, scorching temperatures, death and destruction, the thrill was gone.

My son was far from the place he loved and the people he longed to touch. He had no control over his comings and goings. Much of his life was on hold until he completed his tour of duty—a period that seemed to last forever.

As the months passed, I prayed for Joseph’s safety and sanity. I also pondered his comment about losing his 23rd year. “How many years,” I wondered, “have I lost to waiting for the ideal circumstances before I act?”

Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar? “My life cannot begin until I meet the right person… until I get a better job…until I finish college…until I have a child…until my child starts school…until my child finishes school…until my spouse values me…until I lose weight…until I pay off these debts…until I buy a house…until I buy a bigger house…until I retire.”

That phone call from my faraway son morphed into a wake-up call for this mother. I realized waiting was wasting precious time. Waiting for my circumstances to change. Waiting for the people in my life to change.

The third chapter of Ecclesiastes states that there is a time and a season to every purpose under Heaven. It was time for change—time for me to become proactive. Instead of brooding over an obstacle, I worked to find a solution. Instead of waiting for good things to happen, I set goals to make them happen. I pursued and savored moments with family and friends. I even worked up the courage to go back to college and finish my degree. My life began to change because I finally stopped waiting.

What about you? It is time?

“How much of human life is lost in waiting” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

About The Author Arlene Ledbetter holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Dalton College in Georgia. She has written adult Sunday school curriculum and contributed to five Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Visit her at www.arleneledbetter.net.

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