The older I get, the more this quote from James 4: 13-15 means to me:
“Now listen, you who say, “ Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, and carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “ If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
No one expects that maybe their life will be over today. Those who remain behind never imagine this will happen. They are left to think of what has gone unsaid…or even worse, to remember what they HAD said before the door slammed shut behind someone they would never see again in this world.
Because we don’t appreciate how fragile life is, we sometimes treat others less carefully, less lovingly, than we could have. Today, may we secretly weigh our words, speaking to each person as if one of us will be gone tomorrow. May we emphasize joy and laughter which will bring pleasant memories when we are no longer in their presence.
I have been contemplating all of this for over a week now, especially since the death of a friend. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer late in 2016, and Kay lost her battle with this disease just a few days ago. However, something so good and wonderful happened to her just before she died, that brought such happiness to her and therefore to her entire family. Those of us who heard about this compassionate gift of time and caring for her, were blessed by the special gift to her, and I want to share it with you.
Kay was in the care of Hospice in the Rochester, Minnesota, area. She was living at home, and one of her wishes was to see the Minnesota Twins play one last time. Hospice coordinated a plan for her to go see a home game on Wednesday, April 19th. It was all set, but then the game was rained out. It was rescheduled for Friday, April 21st, which just happened to be Kay’s 69th birthday. But when that day arrived, she was not having a good day. Her two sisters, that were at her side daily helping her and her family, really didn’t think she should try and make the trip for the game.
After talking it all over, Hospice assured them that they could assist Kay with some medication that would help her make this wish come true. It turned out to be quite a special event; one that even surprised most of their family and especially fair weather fans like me! During her time there, she was escorted down onto the playing field with Joe Mauer. Accompanying him were a couple of the “old guys” like Kent Hrbek and also the team chaplain. They knelt beside Kay and prayed for her. Mr. Mauer also autographed her sweatshirt, wrapped her in a twins warm-up jacket to keep her warm (which she got to keep), and a professional photographer captured it all with Kay, her husband, Dale, and Joe Mauer. It turned out to be a memory that her family will always remember.
A couple days after the game, Kay received a phone call from Joe Mauer asking her how she was doing. Within a few days, Kay passed away. At the funeral home, during the visitation, the P.R. person from the Minnesota Twins came to give condolences to the family. The time and care invested into this woman and her grieving family was commendable. As we visited with her family, there among the pictures and mementos of her life, stood the large autographed picture from a few days before.
Love…joy…kindness….goodness…just some of the gifts we can pass on to others. Isn’t it just a breath of fresh air when these things are paid forward? Oh, that we all can be part of the process in our little corners of the world! Hopefully we won’t let opportunities to spread joy and happiness pass us by.
lbeerman68@gmail.com
