Each day, every day

"I am thankful for the folks God has put in my life. Yes, I am from the belief that every person, every encounter, was arranged by the Almighty."

One of the things most of us become aware of as we age, is the preciousness of time. And many of us, myself included, have either wasted time, or wished time away. I have many times treated time as an unlimited resource, which is mine to use or squander. Big mistake. We are all of us, allocated a certain amount of time in our lives. How much that is, only God knows. I do know this much however, which is a recent revelation in my life. God wants us to use our time wisely. Each day, every day, to use this gift wisely. 

As much as I try not to live my life in regret or remorse from the past, there are times I wish I could live over again. Why? I used some of the time allocated to me - unwisely. Where I could have done better. 

I had a very good friend who I met at work while in my 40's. He and I traveled together, worked together, and shared some of our off-time together. Shortly after I left that company to work at another company, I found out my friend was in the hospital. This man, who was strong as an ox, and healthy as a horse, had been diagnosed with liver cancer. Stage 4, terminal liver cancer. As soon as I found out, I went to visit him in the hospital. He lie there in that hospital bed, looking gaunt, with tubes all over the place. It was surreal.

We chatted about small stuff, and I tried to entertain him with some meaningless stories about my new job. All the time, he and I were avoiding what we should have been talking about. He was dying, and he knew it. I knew it. But we could not talk about it.

After a while, it was time for me to go. I went over to the side of his bed and held out my hand. He held my hand so tightly, and would not let go. I looked into his eyes, and tears started to form, in his eyes, as well as mine. That is a moment I would love to have back. There was so much more I could have said or done. I would have wanted that moment last much longer. That was the last time I saw my friend alive. He died while I was on a business trip to Washington. When I got home, my wife broke the news to me. All I could do was weep.

Today I treat time much differently. Each relationship, each friendship, is special. Each moment in time is special. Each day, when my feet hit the floor, is special. Some days may be better than other - that being said, all days are good. 

I am thankful for the folks God has put in my life. Yes, I am from the belief that every person, every encounter, was arranged by the Almighty. It all has a purpose. Rick Warren talked about this quite a bit in his book The Purpose Driven Life. Our life has a purpose each and every day. Much of that purpose has to do with other people. 

Tomorrow my oldest daughter turns 40. When she was 16, she was inches from death in a very bad car accident. I went to the funeral of the boy who was killed in that wreck. Once my daughter was out of the hospital, that was a turning point for me. Each day, every day, since that awful night of the accident, I am grateful that she is with us. I never take that for granted. She has gone on to get a masters degree, married, and given us two beautiful grand children. Why was my daughter spared and the boy was not? I will never know the answer to that, this side of Heaven. 

This morning it is raining cats and dogs. Lord, we needed it! I will enjoy this day, rain or shine. All I know is this going forward. God is good, all the time. We are all here, by His design. What we do while we are here, is up to us. Using each day, every day, wisely. I am still a work in progress, but each day I try harder.