[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Saturday, October 5, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all, whether that day be morning, afternoon or evening.  I hope that, whatever time of day it is or even whether it is Saturday or the Lord's Day, that you are all doing well, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

The article I have for you today has no author in front of it, so I can't give you his/her name.  However I hope that you will enjoy it.  Its title is "A Story To Live By," and is rendered as follows:

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.  He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip.  It was exquisite; silk, handmade, and trimmed with a cobweb of lace.  The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.  "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least eight or nine years ago.  She never wore it.  She was saving it for a special occasion.  Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician.  His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment; then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me.  "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion.  Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death.  I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the midwestern town where my sister's family lives.  I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done.  I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.

I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life.  I'm reading more and dusting less.  I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden.  I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings.  Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure.  I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event ... such a losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it.  My theory is, if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing.  I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends'.

"Some day" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary.  If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.  I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted.  I think she would have called family members and a few close friends.  She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles.  I like to think she would would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food.  I'm guessing ... I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited.  Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with ... someday.  Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write ... one of these days.  Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.  I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.

Every day, every minute, every breath truly is, a gift from God.

And there you have our sister's article which I hope ministered to you today.  And let's not say "One of these days, when I get around to it, I'll" do this or that, but do it today, right after you read this message.  Tomorrow just may be too late, for your loved one or, possibly, yourself.  I think I'm going to do just that right after I send this message.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  And now until tomorrow when, Lord willing another daily thought message will be presented, I remain your Christian friend and brother, Paul