It was 5:30 AM. I was rocking and feeding my Grandson in his room. I looked down at his precious face and tears began streaming from my eyes. "Oh, God thank you so much for allowing me to hold this beautiful baby boy. I thank you Lord for giving me this moment of pure joy." You see, he was born while I lay very critical in ICU at John Hopkins Hospital. I was totally unaware of anything going on. A moment that I truly wanted to be there for, the birth of my first grandson.
Once you have experienced a life altering illness, what you value and how you think change dramatically. They tell me, though I have no recollection of this, that they would hold cards in front of me and I would always point to the picture of family while I laid in ICU. I was unable to speak, but my spirit cried out for what is the most precious asset that I have, family!
When all is well and you live life not having a care in the world, relationships and family can really take a toll on you. Attitudes fly like a breeze. We get hurt. We get angry and hold on to grudges that really are not that important in the scheme of things. I am now very cautious of how I respond in not so pleasant situations.
Life is way too short to allow the seed of anger and bitterness to take root in your soul. (Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.")
Now my thoughts run deep: "Will this be my last Christmas? Will I get enjoy a summer vacations next year? Will I get see my grandchildren grow up? "I want time to be with my husband and grow old with him, will I? The value of life becomes so important. No one has the answer to any of these questions. And, most important no one knows when life will come to an end for anyone.
I am now making a conscious effort to value all relationships that I have to love and enjoy. I am not waiting to spend time wishing I had made contact or gone to see those that I love. I have nephew who lives away from his family that made a remark when his grandfather passed away. "I always thought he would always be there!" There is no guarantee of this for anyone.
Can I challenge you? What relationships do you have that you need to mend? Do not wait until it is too late. Do not regret not going to see the ones you love? Work and things will always be there to hinder you from making plans. Life gets busy and your calendar fills up. Can you make it a priority to value the time you spend with loved ones? It may be too late one day too soon.......
