Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90: 12

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent.”
Barbara Bush

Every time. The memories will last.

Our son and daughter-in-law, Nathan and Amy, celebrated their twenty-eighth wedding anniversary this past weekend. We took them, their two precious daughters, Amy’s Dad, and a dear friend to eat at one of our favorite restaurants.

After we first had spent a good part of the day packing up our elder granddaughter to begin her program of study in North Carolina for her Master’s degree.

Yesterday, after praying for their trip, the family—Mom, Dad and younger sister—left in a moving truck and cars, to help her get set up for school there, as Lynda and I (Mimi and Gran) waved excitedly and tearfully goodbye.

As they turned the corner from our view, a song by Paul Young, “Every Time You Go Away” (…you take a piece of me with you) came to mind.  A song which always evokes tears, and a reminder of the importance of the relationships and moments God places in our lives.

Sacred relationships to cherish. Sacred moments to embrace and not take for granted.

I wonder how we’re doing.

Look back over the past few months of your calendar.

I wonder how many times we see the names of those special people God entrusted to us listed there.

I suspect we didn’t always understand the importance of those sacred relationships—being too busy climbing another mountain toward success in the world’s eyes. Or we rationalized that we’ll spend time with them another day.

On occasion we learned, painfully too late, we weren’t even promised the next hour, let alone another day.

Missed moments we never got back. Never.

The roles we occupy have potential life-changing and eternal impact for those given us in sacred trust—children, grandchildren, husbands, wives and others within our families, and friends.

And for our lives as well.

To make the most important of memories in the seasons they are with us. Sacred relationships and moments—forever filled with sacred memories—and powerful reminders for each one of us.

The truth is that we, and they, will have memories either way—memories of having spent time with them, or not.

Maybe it’s time to look again at the priorities of our lives right now.

Perhaps it’s time to do a better job of listening to that gentle whisper of a God reminding us of the sacred relationships and moments to embrace—while we can.

Moments we will either look back on with regret, or with a warm smile.

Either way—the memory of them will last forever.

As they drove off yesterday morning, we could feel in our hearts—“Every time you go away…you take a piece of me with you.”

In His Name–Scott