I was in the middle of a meeting this morning when the power in our office flickered off and on a few times before the whole place went dark for good.
Just like most power outages here in America, I expected it to come back in a matter of seconds or minutes... but it didn't, so I headed to a coffee shop down the road in the hopes of getting some work done. About a half a mile from our office I saw the cause of the outage: two thick black tire tracks across the road, a telephone pole sliced in two, and a huge crew of emergency vehicles.
I don't have a clue what happened to the driver or others involved, but it looked tragic.
I could still see the accident in my rear-view mirror when I got a call from my mom letting me know that close family friends of ours who live in another country had just died in a car accident... there's been a lump in my throat and an ache in my heart ever since.
Right away the lyrics from Matthew West's powerful song "A Few More Days" came to mind and I've been humming it ever since. You can listen to the song here:
or click here if the player doesn't load.I don't have a clue what happened to the driver or others involved, but it looked tragic.
I could still see the accident in my rear-view mirror when I got a call from my mom letting me know that close family friends of ours who live in another country had just died in a car accident... there's been a lump in my throat and an ache in my heart ever since.
Right away the lyrics from Matthew West's powerful song "A Few More Days" came to mind and I've been humming it ever since. You can listen to the song here:
After listening to the lyrics a few times through I still felt like I was in the dark, but my hope was renewed. There were also two things that I wanted to do immediately:
1. Tell Taya and the rest of my family that I love them. Not just a quick "luv ya" but a true, clear, heart-felt declaration that I really do love and appreciate them.
2. Get down on the floor and play with my kids. Right away. Without saying "maybe later... in a bit... Daddy's got some work to do first..."
I wasn't surprised by the two things that made my list. What surprised me were the many things that would NEVER make my list. Things that I spend the bulk of my day doing, hours of my life thinking about and worrying about. It was a wake up call for me to re-consider my perspective and my priorities.
How about you?
What are two things you would do if you knew you only had a few more days?
Then, just for fun, what are two things you do often, that would not make your list at all?
C.S. Lewis says that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
I'm listening God.
photo from Kyle May on flickr
3 comments:
Great post Ross.
I would make videos for all my kids for them to see at major milestones in their life like graduation, marriage, birth of their children etc.
Grab my wife and kids and share my love, hopes and dreams for them as well as how privileged I have been to be their husband and father.
Two things I wouldn't do is worry or make plans.
I would show my honey how very much I love and adore him. I would make sure that my kids know that they are the greatest gift that God has given me in this world. I would make sure that my grandbabies know that they are the joy and sunshine of our lives....I would call the people that I have wanted to call, just to tell them that I love them. I would thank my mom and dad for all the sacrifices of love they have made for me and for being such amazing examples of Christ's love. I would tell my brothers and my sisters that God gave me the best family to be born to and that they are my best friends.
One thing that I wouldn't do is DIET!
thanks for this post, ross. the impact that kari and al's life and death has had on me was profound. i found that for the last several days i didn't have words only had tears. i can't imagine how their family is feeling. they were such amazing people i feel so honored to have known them and been included among those they called friends.
if i only had a short time left...i would soak up the moments with my girls. i would hold demi a little longer after bath and stop to watch everytime she sang. i would tickle taya's back and make sure she knew how totally blessed i am to have been her mom and how thankful i am that God gave me such an easy child to love. i would have long talks with brielle and make sure she knew she could tell me anything and that she knew how proud i am of her. i would make sure i knew i was leaving them with the very best of me...so maybe they would keep a lot of me with them.
i would renew my wedding vows with erik in a very intimate setting where we were comfortable to have very "non traditional" vows. it would probably be just me and him.
i would not clean or do a load of laundry. i would not give my attentions to anyone who did not have absolute significance in my life.
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