Never wait to say I love you ...appreciate what we have
THROUGHOUT our earthly journey, we strive for this, that and the other. But, in the end, there is one thing of lasting value, one thing that makes you rich beyond measure. That thing is the human life that surrounds you.
We spend so much of our time searching for happiness, seeking for that which will provide peace. And yet, all we have to do is look around at the people we are blessed to live with.
They are our wealth, the true source of everything worth having.
Why is it that we never take prosperity and peace for granted, yet we very often take our family and friends for granted? We worry about a ‘rainy day’, yet we rarely take time to consider the living, breathing riches that are here and now. The truth is that it doesn’t matter what you lack so long as you have such people to love.
No- one is free from cares and concerns, and we are all guilty of becoming consumed by them. That, however, is to risk squandering the gifts we already possess. Our spouses, our children, our parents and friends: they are all that truly matter.
That is why each day should be considered an end in itself. By this I mean that we should not put off until tomorrow what we can do and say today. Each day is packed with a promise of peace and prosperity when we see people as the real source of both.
To wake each morning to the sound of your loved one breathing, of your children laughing, is to have it all. What more do we really need? Of course, we require other things, but only in so far as it helps them to live fuller lives.
When we have our loved ones, we have the best that life can give. Think of the wealth in each smile of a little child, in each embrace, in every tender moment. Every second ought to be treasured as something priceless.
The older I get, the more I realise that we should never permit pride or anger or anything else to inhibit love. People are so precious that we need to cherish them, not only on their birthdays or special occasions, but every day. Waiting until tomorrow to tell them how much they mean is to wait too long. The Bible says: ‘Never let the sun go down on your wrath.’ Don’t, in other words, go to bed without putting peace where there was anger. Don’t end the day without healing the pains of the day.
And how can we heal like that? We can say ‘sorry’ to those we have offended or hurt. We can forgive those who have, in turn, hurt us.
Peace does not demand perfection. We all give way to frustration and anger, even with those we love most. However, it does ask us to heal the wounds of hurt, to let tenderness burn away bitterness.
It is so easy to become blinkered, so easy to let our pressures blind us to the miracle of life.
We worry about the future while forgetting about today. But all we have is today and the wonders it provides.
Today offers us our chances to forgive and forget, to heal and help, to care and to console. Today is the only gift worth having, because, without it, we have nothing. Today can become the best day of your life, simply by putting everything into its proper perspective.
HOW so? Don’t t ake anyone for granted and you will find that you love them even more. Don’t waste a second doing idle chores if the alternative is to spend time with your spouse or children or any loved ones. Don’t put off saying or doing anything that will ease their burdens and increase their joy. If you have a gripe or a grudge, let it go. Such things squander precious time that can never be recovered.
Holding fast to fear or frustration is to forget that life is, right now, offering you the opportunity to reach out and make all things new. You awake to the sound of your loved ones and you have heard the sound of paradise. It is a sound that invites you to smile and to pass every second in a state of sheer joy. For, in this, you have everything that gives life i ts meaning and its wealth.
And then, tell them how much you love them, because love is the only thing that lasts forever.