Following the Everywhere Spirit …anywhere

Last night as I was lying in bed I began to think about my father.  He died in January of 2001; he spent only 64 years on this, Gods green earth, he went away just too soon, at least for me.  My mother died a year and 2 weeks later, again too soon.  She and I never really got along, but that’s a story for another time.

Anyway back to my dad.  We were never as close as he and my younger brother were.  My mother had a great deal to do with that, and somehow the man understood that.  His sight was failing, but he was not blind to the various dynamics going on around him.  He was not a college grad, but he was one of the hardest working men I ever knew.  He was employed by the County of Los Angeles.

About a month before he would take his vacation, which totaled a month in time, he would work like a dog. He’d work 7 days a week for that entire month just so that he and my mother could take us, that would be me, sister and my brother to “The Happiest Place on Earth AKA Disneyland.

Because he died so soon, he missed my graduation from college, he missed my wedding, and he missed the day my wife died, I really could have used his help when she died.

Anyway, all that to say that as I thought about how much I miss him, I realized that no matter how long he would have lived, it would not have been long enough for me.  Had he lived into his 70’s, and had I spent every waking hour with him, it still would not have been enough time. Had he lived into his 80’s that would not have been long enough.

So what’s the point?  The point is that we need, if we care, to make the most of the time we are given while here on earth for all our sakes.  Time is fleeting and the sacred scriptures instruct us not to take life for granted (James 4:17).