Appreciate what you have before it's too late

By Ellen Shuck

What does it take before we finally wake up, before we finally realize that time doesn't last forever? One thinks he can accomplish something or take a trip, tomorrow. Yet, the present is all we really have. Proverbs 27:1 warns us when it says, "Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring."

The mother of a close friend first opened my eyes. She said, "If you want to travel, don't wait until you're too old. You may be disabled or lose the desire for traveling. Don't wait too long."

I've taken this bit of wisdom to heart and, consequently, my husband and I always tried to combine work and vacations. We included what we could and found joy as we journeyed. We often turned my husband's business trips into fun experiences. Our three children and we, have traveled in forty eight states in the U.S. This happened through taking every opportunity to turn ordinary living experiences into exciting and fun encounters.

We knew if we waited until retirement, or just the right time, to appreciate and take advantage of what was available, the right time would never come.

Do we appreciate our families, their presence, the knowledge they are here for us?

I learned another lesson from a person who served a prison term. During a conversation he shared with me that one never wanted to go there. "It was very hard on me." He said, "There's nothing as terrible as being separated from your loved ones." He failed to notice or appreciate them until he was left to his own devices, to create a life completely foreign to him. He was lonely and felt it was too late. Why had he not recognized and appreciated their presence before?

I look around my home and think how fortunate I am to have a place to lay my head -- warmth in the cold and air-conditioning in the heat. Ah, how fortunate I am. Take time to relish and give thanks for what you have.

Have you given thanks that your legs, arms, hands, and other parts of your body are healthy? I recently incurred some minor injuries because I was careless. I had a sprained ankle and wrist. Those types of frailties seem insignificant, but when you still have to perform your activities, they can be quite traumatic. At the time, I wondered if I would ever be able to use my wrists again or walk correctly without pain.

I, now, am almost back to normal, but I appreciate being able to move my hands, and walk too, without pain. I'm thankful for all the parts of my body. I think, God, was teaching me to notice my, seemingly, good health rather than take it for granted. I give thanks constantly for everything, even breathing well.

We, so often believe we will visit someone, or do a good deed for them--tomorrow. But do we? Finally the days turn into weeks and the weeks into months and so forth. Then, you read or hear they've died. It's too late to show you care, and add joy to their lives. You've waited too long.

A young girl was admitted to a behavioral facility. Not for criminal activity, but because of unacceptable behavior that her parent's couldn't control. As she lived and learned at the center, she learned compassion for other people and began to appreciate what he had, at home. Naturally, she was exceedingly lonely and depressed for a while. As time went on, though, the girl saw the dangers to herself and the heartache, she had caused to other people.She hadn't recognized what a fantastic environment she had lived in.

The young women will benefit from her experience, but, it could have been, "too late." It's true that, more often than not we, fail to notice what we've got, until it's gone!