By Jennie Atkins
Every morning we crawl out of bed and wonder what to do with
our day—fold a load of clothes, rush off to our dreaded day job, or jot an
email to a friend. We go to sleep each
night expecting the next day and the days following to be there just as they always
have been.
But what if they aren’t? Or what if our life has changed
drastically as in the life of my oldest son, Toby, who finds himself confined
to life in a wheel chair? What would we
do then? How would we feel? Would we look back and say we’ve done all we could
for our families? For God? There is a song by Garth Brooks called If Tomorrow Never Comes that looks at a
life changed. It asks the question: If I never wake up
in the morning, would she ever doubt the way I feel about her in my heart?
It is a poignant look backwards before facing the
circumstances of the future. Will our
family know we loved them beyond measure? Will our friends know how much we
cherish their friendships? Will our neighbors know we cared?
I am so guilty of living my life by a to-do list, so you
could say this post is mostly for me. I
want to get the next chapter done on my WIP, I need to weed and water my
garden, and I need to prepare for my next day at work. I often ask myself, when
have I called a friend on a whim? Or stopped to help a neighbor in need? Or,
just spend time extra time with God?
Each day is a gift. A quote from Amelia Barr reads—Time is a
very precious gift of God; so precious that it’s only given to us moment by
moment.
How are you spending your next moments?
I leave you with the words to the chorus of Garth Brook’s
song:
If tomorrow never
comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes
It's a nice song, and a nice thought...but it's wrong.
ReplyDeleteLife is lived in the details, and the important stuff...how we love, how we worship...are built in the mass. If we try to make them special, we divorce them from the context of life that gives them meaning.
It's a bit like basing faith on a handful of Jesus' sayings, rather than the full text of the Gospels. Attractive, streamlined, but entirely missing the point.
When I realized that I was NOT going to get better, and that my tomorrows are limited (to the point of casual conversations with my wife about what's going to have to happen when I'm dead), I went through the process of trying to appreciate every last minute, and irritated both Barbara and the dogs.
They want ME, with pathos, perhaps, but with the activities and aspirations (such as I';m able) that they've grown to...well, tolerate.
They do NOT want a bathetic emotion-sponge, looking longingly at every moment as if it might be the last. Kinda like Woody Allen's depressed twin.
And if it is, so what? I'll see them all later.
I do my best every day, within the context of who I am,and they - and I - will have to live with that legacy.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com
Life is lived in the details. I like that Andrew. And I'm glad you can have those kinds of conversations with your wife, Barbara. They are not easy. I know. I had them with my husband when he was so sick. But it helped him to talk, so I listened. Blessings.
DeleteAndrew, Thanks for your reply. Yes, I agree that we should do our best every day.
DeleteIt is hard to get our focus off ourselves and onto God and others. Some days I make it and others I don't. Great post, Jennie.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who told me it was easier to pray for other peoples troubles than her own. Thanks, Pat!
DeleteSorry I missed this yesterday. I love that quote about Him giving us life moment by moment. I think you live yours quite fully & I think I'm enjoying the same--right now savoring moments with grandchildren nearby. Thanks Jennie & every blessing to you.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, I forgot too! LOL Thanks for your kind words.
DeleteMy computer was in the shop so I could read this until today, but it is truly powerful! Thanks for the reminder, Jennie!
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