Wow. I just realized that I haven't posted since May. It has been a crazy few months. In June my family was evacuated from our home for a week because of the West Fork Fire Complex. Once we were allowed back into town, my parents opened a gas station and liquor store and I helped them get open and organized a huge grand opening celebration with musical performances by Dave Mensch, Bittersweet Highway and opera singer Michael Mayes (and the Pig Whistlers). During the first month or two, I was putting in 65+ hours a week. It was exhausting. Well, enough with the excuses...
I think we all know that tomorrow isn't promised to any of us and we all have differing ideas and opinions on what happens when we die. If you're a Christian, as I am, we believe in Heaven and look forward to living eternally with our Heavenly Father. I have this belief, but I am also not ready to leave this Earth yet. I have so much left to do and see.
These past couple of weeks have really reiterated how short life really is and that regardless of age, race, religion, wealth, health or circumstances, tomorrow is not promised to any one of us. Fans of Paul Walker were all saddened (at least I was) by the news of his tragic death. A couple of days later, a guy I knew from my hometown passed away at the age of 32 of Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (an ultra rare autoimmune disorder); my sister-in-law, her husband, their two toddler aged daughters and her husband's parents were in a bad car accident (all are now home thankfully) and Nelson Mandela passed away along with all the other news stories we hear day in and day out about military lives lost overseas.
Celebrity deaths usually don't upset me. I typically think, "Oh, that's sad" and go about my business. I grew up 15 miles from Anna Nicole Smith and am sure at some point in my life spoke to her when she worked at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken. Her death, however, wasn't as upsetting as that of Paul Walker. Neither was Michael Jackson's, Whitney Houston's, Aalyiah's, Lisa Lopez's or Selena's. Paul Walker's death was different. I'm not sure if it was because I've been a PW fan since 1999 when I saw him in Varsity Blues and he became my all time celebrity crush (I started a collection of his movies years ago and have been working on having most of them) or if it was because we lost a great actor and humanitarian, or the circumstances around his death or all of the above (pretty sure it was some of all of it). I've really been bothered by this and I think it is partly because I think so many of us take life for granted. We forget we aren't guaranteed tomorrow and that we can put off things until tomorrow, when in reality, we may not have tomorrow, we may not have tonight, the next hour, the next minute. I saw a post on Facebook by Tyrese Gibson who posted something that is so spot on..."My inspired thought through this tragedy has been....'It's arrogant to believe that next week or even the next second of life belongs to you.' Live, love, forgive and spread love today cause tomorrow isn't promised."
While I believe that we should prepare for the future, Tyrese has a point. It is arrogant of us to believe that the next second of life belongs to us, because for those of us who are Christians, we know that God is the only one who knows if we have that next second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, etc.
My encouragement is to plan for the future, but not to forget to live in the here and now. I challenge you not to wait until tomorrow to show and tell your children, spouse, parents, friends and other family members how much you love them. Don't put your dreams on hold thinking you have plenty of time to do this or that. Don't put off getting your life right with God, get right with Him right now. Live your life like every second is your last and have no regrets.
I leave you with one of my favorite songs: One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
In Memory of Paul Walker, Tyler Archibald, Nelson Mandela and the many other lives lost in the past weeks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXxRyNvTPr8
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