Paradise for a Parking Lot

Ok guys, here's the deal.  I'm leaving for camp in a week.  This week is already stressing me out, so I can't make any promises about when I'll get out the second part of "Rehumanizing the Christ".  I'll try to slip in a few insightful thoughts here and there throughout the next week but I can't make any promises.

In the wake of my preparations for camp, however, something came up.

I was trying to plan out when I was going to spend time with certain people before I leave.  As I was talking this out with my mom, she pointed out that one of the people I was trying desperately to make time with, I haven't really been particularly interesting in spending time with all semester.  We laughed about it and pointed out that this is similar to what happens with a lot of people.

As I thought about it some more, I thought about this morning in church.  Preach'rman called me and the other guy that's going to camp up to the front to pray over us before we left.  He then also asked that we stand at the back of the sanctuary with him and allow everyone else a chance to wish us well.  As an interesting side note, our closing hymn was "God Be With You Till We Meet Again".  While the people were all leaving and I was hugging all of them, I starting getting rather emotional.

Anyone that knows me very well will tell you that there are not many people in the world that I legitimately miss.  I can't honestly say that I think about most of those people from church during the week.  I'm sorry if any of you are out there reading this, but that's the truth.  However, as all these people were bidding me farewell, I could feel their love so strongly that it really started to get to me.

All this has, of course, reminded me of a song.  I've brought it up before, but it just seems WAY too appropriate to pass up:

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows

I absolutely LOVE this song.  It is wonderful and has such a good message that is so true.

How often are we sitting in paradise and all we can think about is where we are going to park?  How many times in our life are we willing to pave paradise and put up a parking lot?

For me, I have to admit that this last year I have taken the people in my life for granted.  I know some of the most wonderful people in the world.  They are loving, fun, and just generally good people.  I don't know why I haven't made a point of spending more time with all of them.  I can tell you, however, that now that I'm not going to have the chance to spend time with them, I'm regretting not having spent more of my life with these absolutely amazing people.

The good thing about this is I haven't paved over my paradise.  Rather, I'm just moving from one paradise I've never really fully appreciated to one that I would consider the happiest place on Earth.

What's your paradise?  Have you paved over it?  If so, can it still be excavated?  If not, is there another right across the street you haven't taken the time to dance in yet?