Always tell those you love that you love them, every day. You never know when that last "I love you" will be THE last one. Tell people you appreciate them, and you're glad they're part of your life. Never take anything for granted, especially time, because none of us really know how much time we have on this earth.
I got a call from a friend this morning, telling me something was going on at one of the neighbor's houses down the road. There were ambulances, and county deputies there. She texted me later to tell me our neighbor Ron had collapsed, and was on his way to the hospital. We immediately sent up prayers. Several minutes later, my friend texted me again, to tell me Ron had passed away. I was instantly numb with shock, and broke down in tears, even though we were never really close with those neighbors. I have always liked, and respected them very much, but hadn't spent much time with them. Now it's too late. I'll never be able to tell Ron how much I appreciated him putting up with all my calls asking which wild critters I could shoot to protect my live stock. I'll never be able to tell him how much I appreciated him keeping an eye on our property, to keep out the idiots who liked to sneak in, and fish our pond without permission. I'll never be able to tell him how much I appreciated him checking in on my niece when she lived down the road from us, with an abusive boyfriend, or how much safer I felt being out here by myself, knowing he was just a phone call away. And now, I'll never get to really know him.
I'm so sad for Ron's family - his wife, his children, and his grandchildren, who will never know their grandpa. I feel sad for his mother, because I too, know what it's like to lose a son. I'm sad for their loss, especially knowing what they've gone through, in this year of horrors for our little neighborhood. I send up prayers for Ron's family, for strength to endure this heartbreak, and for the strength to carry on, and continue their rebuilding, since the tornadoes. I pray they find peace.
I've always known death can be sudden, and unexpected. I've always known it can happen to anyone, at any time. We got that dreaded phone call in 1993, when our son was killed in a repelling accident, so you'd think that would be enough of a wake up call, so to speak. And it was. For a while. We tend to get complacent with our lives, and the lives of others, forgetting, or opting to not think about how suddenly we can lose someone we love. We don't think to thank God every day for allowing us one more day. One more day to spend on this earth. One more day to spend with those we love. One more day.
But how many "one more days" do we have? No one knows the answer to that question, so we need to be more appreciative for what we have, and we need to appreciate it every, single day. We need to wake up, and learn to smell the roses. We need to learn to live life with gusto, and stop being so afraid of everything. Death will come to us all, no matter how careful we are, so we need to LIVE while we still have time. Those of us who believe need to thank God for the time we have, and for those people in our lives who make our lives worth living. And life IS worth living.
So before you go to bed tonight, or when you wake up in the morning, take a deep breath, and thank God you're still breathing, and that your loved one's are still breathing. Thank God for today, and every day, because we never know when it will be our last. Be thankful for your family, and friends. Be thankful you have one more day.
