Today is a memorable day for me. It's amazing that it has been eighteen years now that my mom has been gone from my everyday life. She is now a citizen of Heaven. I must say that July 28, 1992 was one of the hardest days I have lived thus far. Goodbye is one of the most difficult words to say to a loved one leaving this world, especially when it's your mom. The pain lessens as the years go by, but she is still missing from my world. I love and miss her very much. My comfort comes in knowing that because of her trust in the Lord, she truly is better off than I am. And because we share that same trust, I will be with her again one day.
I often think about a longing that I have and that is to be able to have her with me for just one more day. I would take the opportunity to ask her so many things that I now wish that I knew the answers to...her answers. I would take the time to make sure that she really knew how much I appreciated her for all that she had sacrificed for me. I would laugh with her, cry with her, dream with her. I would learn more about her and who she was as a young woman. I would learn what brought her joy, happiness, what she wanted to be when she grew up. I would find out who and what hurt her and do my best to mend those hurts. I would tell her that the mistakes that she made in this life do not matter. We are not our mistakes! I would tell her that I am proud of her and that I am thankful to God more making her my mother.
It's too late for all of that now, but I do plan on having that conversation when I see her next. The real reason for this entry is to remind all of us that life is but a vapor. It all goes so quickly. There is no time to waste in holding grudges with your loved ones or living life so fast to pay for things that don't matter a whole lot anyway. Put whatever needs to be put aside to make sure and take the opportunities that you have with those you love. Say what needs to be said, do what needs to be done. Don't waste a single day!
"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven- A time to give birth and a time to die." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NASB
