Live each day as though it’s your last

Now, with seven children grown, two in their teen-aged years, and eight grandchildren, I am considered “experienced.”

The more I experience, the more I realize how much I really don’t know.

Too often we take common things for granted instead of recognizing them for the great blessing they are.

This past year, an incident with my youngest grandson was a stark reminder to cherish every moment.

I was in parent/teacher conferences with one of my teen-age sons. I had turned my phones to silent because one rang while in the younger son’s parent/ teacher conference and I didn’t want to interrupt the ensuing meetings. One of my daughters called for me on my son’s phone telling me that another daughter was in the ambulance on the way to the hopsital with the youngest grandson and she needed me to watch the other two boys. For the next 20 minutes or so, driving through the traffic from here to there, praying for them, trying to call to see what the status was, I didn’t know if he was alive or dead — nor the actual incident that prompted the ambulance being called. I realized how fleeting life is and how we must treasure each moment. Thankfully, he is fine. But, it could have been much different.

My daughter had put him down for a nap. She went in to check on him and found him blue and limp. She responded quickly, he was revived and now wears a monitor. Even though she is a nurse, she is first a mother and she was frantic, albeit capable, so handled the crisis with aplomb.

With the responsibilities of my job, I go to car wrecks, fires and other traumatic incidents. I’ve seen people survive horrendous crashes. I’ve seen dead bodies in unspeakable circumstances. It sometimes seems that the body is incredibly frail, then other times, seems that it’s miraculously durable.

Once, I drove up on a wreck just as it happened, preparing to jump out with my camera, and realized it was one of my daughter’s driving the vehicle.

We never know what a day may bring, but we can know the One who holds the days in His hand.

Ultimately, both my grandson and daughter were fine. Through the trials and tribulations, we learn more about trusting God who loves us more than we realize and more than we love our children and grandchildren.

It is imperative that we live each day cognizant that it could be our last and continually tell our children, our grandchildren, that we love them and that God loves them.

••• Editor’s note: Annette Beard is the managing editor of The Times of Northeast Benton County, chosen the best small weekly newspaper in Arkansas for five of the past six years. A native of Louisiana, she moved to northwest Arkansas in 1980 to work for the Benton County Daily Record. She has nine children, four sons-in-law, six grandsons and two granddaughters and another grandson due this summer. She can be reached at abeard@nwaonline.com.