It is never the right time...

If you had the opportunity to choose when someone close to you would die you could not do it. There is never a right time to say goodbye to those we love. This evening a long time friend of mine came home and found her 28 year old son dead in a chair. (probably a heart attack) Two things here, a 28 yr old and a heart attack are not usually in the same sentence, second this is not what anyone expects to find on an otherwise normal day.

It seems that there is a lot of death in my life these days, in the past few years three of my own family members have passed away. Two of my neighbor's family members have passed away and several friends of our family, and several others that touched our lives in someway.

The initial news of death is always very dramatic, then the phone calls, then the conversation always trying to figure it all out. We suddenly become aware of their life, the person who has passed. Oh how I yearn to be more aware of those I love while they are living. We take so much for granted. We just assume that tomorrow will always come, and yet the Bible does not promise us tomorrow.

Our day to day tasks eat up much of our energy, we have too many places to go and too many things to do. If we did not own so many items of clothing and linens we would not be such a slave to laundry. And so picky God forbid if we actually wore something more than one time without washing it. And oh no don't let us wear the same item to a special event more than once that is unheard of. Are you kidding me right now? We seriously need to pull our heads out of the sand and get with the program. We are wasting precious moments of time worrying about the laundry and what people think of us. Making sure that our lives appear to be just perfect. Making sure that we only wear designer clothing and only drive the best cars and eat at the best places.

What good is all that when your loved one dies. Can any of those things comfort you. The working long hours and never being with you family to buy more things! The telling your kids your busy right now playing games, talking on the phone to get the latest news? Spending more time giving to other people's families than to your own.

What kind of memories are we creating? We must truly begin to get a grip on the truth of our lives. We buy too much junk, no matter what it is we could all downsize. We are in too much of a hurry. We get mad when the drive through takes more than 3 minutes and then wonder why the food is not good for us. What kind of quality can you find in three minutes?

I know that you may feel like I am rambling and perhaps I am, but I am really upset with our world and the fact that we have lost touch. I mean true touch!! We do everything by electronic communication including what I am doing right now. We need human interaction. We must get back to the very basics of living and that is all about relationship.

Do the people you love know it? Are you more concerned with bragging about what you have purchased or where your next vacation is? Do you really know what is important? We live in a society that does not want accountability. We text and email and then wonder why we fall short in a face to face conversation.

I challenge you to do better. Be the one in your family to do it differently. Care about those you love right now, don't wait until they are dead and gone to "get it" !!

Each and every one of you truly do matter you are important to people right here in the kingdom of God. We must stop living life like it is pitiful. How does that honor God?

We really need to be grateful for each and every moment that we do have and not spend so much time gripping and complaining about what we don't that all our time is eaten up with, "yeah but what about me"?

I say yes what about you? What are you doing to make it better? How are you helping the people you love to find peace? Or are you burdening them with your expectations and your needs?

Reach to each other while they can reach back and touch you too. Love God's children all of them because we all rub someone the wrong way. None of us are perfect. I pray that your heart never know that pain of the regret that death can bring. Do it all now today with all the love you have.

May God bless you all with Grace, Mercy and forgiveness.

We will Never truly know

I have had many opportunities lately to share gifts that the Lord has given me. It truly is a humbling experience. I have the most amazing time watching people find great joy in the things that the Lord chooses to bless them with.

It is also very sad to me to watch how many people are unable to receive. They find it difficult to take what you are giving. It is as if the very thing their hearts desires now represents some sort of pain.

Why do we pray for solutions and then we we find one we send it back as if it is the wrong one? Why do we question so much? Why is is so hard to simply accept the things that come from the heart of the Lord? We are so judgmental of ourselves and then wonder why people don't want to be around us. Perhaps we have become too needy? Are we constantly complaining about the same old things? Are we ever willing to take the steps towards finding solutions?

As a Professional Organizer I see this all the time. People are so hurt and so buried in the world around them that they can no longer see the child of God that stands before the mirror.

The Lord loves us each and every one. He cares about what is important to us. Please the next time that you are complaining and there comes to you a solution. Think carefully before you brush it aside.