Over the years, our eyes have seen millions of sights, pictures, faces, land marks, documents, and events. Our ears have heard the sounds of crickets, birds chirping, babies crying, crowds cheering, screams, and yells. Our hearts have felt the full pendulum of joy and sadness, anger, love, excitement, and disappointment. If we could climb to high place and paint the canopies of heaven with all that we have seen and heard, we could produce a masterpiece that would shame Davinci or Michelangelo.

   One of the benefits of maturity is the ability to compare what it is now with what has been and project what can be. It's the ability to see a grandchild and see her mother's eyes her grandmother's smile and project what the woman of the future may be. It's the perspective of looking at the now through the prism of the past and getting an idea of the future.

   That's what anniversaries do. Whether it’s a wedding anniversary, birthday or a church celebration, it provides a moment to pause and reflect on what is now compared to what was then, with an eye toward what will be in the not so distant future. It's a chance to see the forest after being so busy looking at the trees.

   When we consider what our eyes have seen over the course of our journey, we are awed.