Embrace the Gift of Today
Growing up, we knew this older couple. They were very fine people. The wife was especially loving, caring, and fun to be around. In fact, I never saw her without a smile on her face. She was always happy and always encouraging somebody. People loved her—especially the young people. But late last fall, she went home to be with the Lord. At her funeral, her husband shared an interesting story.
About fifteen years ago, he had a heart attack. When she came to the hospital she said, "Honey, this just shows us how fragile life really is. You could have been gone. This could have been it." Then she said, "From now on, I want us to start doing something special. Every night before we go to bed, I want us to kiss seven times just to show how much we love each other. Just to show that we're not taking each other for granted." She just decided on the number seven. So, for the last fifteen or twenty years, way up into their eighties, they never went to bed without first kissing seven times.
Well, one day last fall she got up just like normal—happy, loving, peaceful. She was walking to a doctor's appointment and accidentally fell and hit her head. Her brain hemorrhaged, and she went to be with the Lord. But what impressed me the most about this lady is that she lived every day like it could be her last. She went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, but Monday night she kissed her husband seven times. Monday night she told her husband how much she loved him. She didn't live in regret. She wasn't too busy. She wasn't too lazy. She wasn't upset. She made every day a special day. She realized there's no such thing as an ordinary day. The last day of her life she lived loving, caring, peaceful, and enjoying it. That's the way I want to live.
Friend, you never know how long we're going to be here. This day is a gift. It's a special day. It's not ordinary. Make the most of it. Don't go through it complaining, negative, or holding a grudge. Don't live another day in regret.
Life is very fragile. The scripture tells us to number our days. We have to realize people are not going to be here forever. Tell the people in your life how much you love them. Do it often, and embrace the gift of today.
About fifteen years ago, he had a heart attack. When she came to the hospital she said, "Honey, this just shows us how fragile life really is. You could have been gone. This could have been it." Then she said, "From now on, I want us to start doing something special. Every night before we go to bed, I want us to kiss seven times just to show how much we love each other. Just to show that we're not taking each other for granted." She just decided on the number seven. So, for the last fifteen or twenty years, way up into their eighties, they never went to bed without first kissing seven times.
Well, one day last fall she got up just like normal—happy, loving, peaceful. She was walking to a doctor's appointment and accidentally fell and hit her head. Her brain hemorrhaged, and she went to be with the Lord. But what impressed me the most about this lady is that she lived every day like it could be her last. She went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, but Monday night she kissed her husband seven times. Monday night she told her husband how much she loved him. She didn't live in regret. She wasn't too busy. She wasn't too lazy. She wasn't upset. She made every day a special day. She realized there's no such thing as an ordinary day. The last day of her life she lived loving, caring, peaceful, and enjoying it. That's the way I want to live.
Friend, you never know how long we're going to be here. This day is a gift. It's a special day. It's not ordinary. Make the most of it. Don't go through it complaining, negative, or holding a grudge. Don't live another day in regret.
Life is very fragile. The scripture tells us to number our days. We have to realize people are not going to be here forever. Tell the people in your life how much you love them. Do it often, and embrace the gift of today.