Sunday, July 23, 2006

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

After reading BooMama's posts about her dear friend Elise's loss, I really started to think about my own husband. What if I were Elise right now? What if I had to sit by my own husband's bedside and see him in ICU, fighting for life, not responding, no hope in sight? What if it what has happened to Elise happened to me?

The truth is that it could. We always think of these possibilities when we hear a story about someone else's loss. It reminds us that there are no guarantees, that only God is in control, and that only He knows the future. So, for a moment or maybe a few days we ponder on the possibilities. We hug our kids a little tighter and kiss our husbands more often.

But, then a week passes. And we forget again.

How sad for us. How sad that we are able to remember lines from Seinfeld or Gone With The Wind, but we forget to truly appreciate what and who we have in our lives.

We forget to savor. I looked up savor in my big, black dictionary. When used as a verb, savor means to "to appreciate fully; enjoy or relish." And that is exactly what I want to do. To truly relish the people around me. To love them with all that I am and all that Christ is in me. I just hope that I don't forget. That my fickle humanness won't fail me this time, and that I won't fail my loved ones.

So, I will choose today, this day, because that is really all I have now, to savor- to love, to cherish, until death do us part.

3 comments:

Susanne said...

To appreciate fully; to relish. That is a great definition and something I definitely have to start showing more of!

Katrina @ Callapidder Days said...

Great post, Melanie. My thoughts have been along the same lines since reading about Elise and Paul...

Nancy Murphree Davis said...

I agree. Elise and Paul had something rare and precious, but we all need to tell those we love how much they mean, 'cause you just never know.