Every Day is a Gift

Sometimes something happens that makes you stop and think, "What's really important in life?". It makes you realize that your next breath is a priviledge and not a right. Suddenly things take on a new perspective, and you see things in a different light. Small things become big--you enjoy listening to the sound of your husband's voice over the phone; you delight in seeing your son wake from a sound night's sleep. Problems that once seemed huge become small in comparison to life and death. We realize that one day we can be alive, breathing, walking, talking, taking each moment for granted. Then the next day can bring events that alter our lives forever. Or bring an end to a life.

These sobering thoughts fill my mind today. My husband called this morning with the tragic news. A woman he works with--a friend of his as well--and her husband were on their way home from their daughter's house last night. They were riding a motorcycle, and a car pulled out in front of them. They did surgery on him; he lost his leg and I guess too much blood. He passed away this morning. She is in ICU. Their youngest daughter got married just a few weeks ago; their oldest was just about to leave for a mission trip overseas. A few seconds changed their lives forever.


I don't write this to depress you but to encourage you to live each day--each moment--as if it was your last. Don't take for granted the people God has given you the priviledge to love. Love them deeply and let them love you back. Don't live in fear of death but in the joys of life. Embrace each moment with passion, spend quality and quantity time with those you cherish most, and make the most of the seemingly mundane moments of your life.