It was my first experience to stand on private, remote land that overlooked the Mississippi River. That was made possible by an invitation from “old” college friends to visit with them at their Delta cabin. Even the sandbars that attempted to divide the mighty river couldn’t diminish its expanse. We took in its grandeur from a bluff overlooking the river, and then we walked along its pebbled and sandy beach from another location.

The magnitude of the river from our vantage explained why it was referred to as the Mighty Mississip’ — and it was steadily moving. The summer sun had pushed it further from its normal banks, but the current and flow were visible.

As I stood riveted to the vastness of the river and its constant motion, I thought about the constant movement of the world in and around us.

The steady pumping of my heart, the blood pushing through my blood vessels, and the constant in and out of my lungs were movements that meant life.

When I look in the mirror I see how age is affecting my skin. It doesn’t appear to show movement, but it’s slowly creeping south! All body parts are in motion — changing, moving.

I consider the gradual drift of our laws — their interpretations and their enforcement. Anyone with eyes on the world about us doesn’t need glasses to see the constant transition — the continuous moving.

Even dirt is moving! The sound of heavy equipment and the crash of towering trees muffle the singing birds and traffic noise along our street. The forests of isolating trees are almost all gone on the golf course behind our home. Erosion is the culprit. The seasonal spring and hurricane flooding are “rescaping” the river that’s too narrow to compensate for the floods. Engineers believe man made solutions will stop the bit-by-bit erosion. Time will tell.

And speaking of time — those clock hands keep turning. Time never stands still. It seems I turn calendar pages much faster with each month’s arrival. Father Time is always on the move.

It’s when I come upon a verse in God’s word like the one in Psalm 119 that convinces me of things that time cannot move or erode:  “Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens … Your faithfulness continues through all generations … Your laws endure to this day.”

Time, movements and change just met their match!

Letters to Camille Anding may be sent to P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602.