Monday, September 29, 2008

No time like the present

In a recent "Dear Abby" article entitled HUSBAND CONSUMED BY REGRET AFTER DEATH OF BELOVED WIFE we are reminded how short and precious life is and how tomorrow may be too late. In a letter to Dear Abby a man writes of his wife passing away
I recently lost my wife to a long illness. When she could no longer work, I tried to give her the best quality of life I could. It took a toll. I worked long hours to give her everything she needed. The medical bills were astronomical. All she ever wanted was me.
It is common for people to try and provide everything for their loved ones, ignoring the one thing really needed: time. Life being what it is, often the most precious gift you can give is to schedule time for your sweetheart.

The writer continues
Abby, I would like to remind all the other macho guys out there that TIME is something you only get so much of. It is precious, but unfortunately, limited. I realized, too late, that it's not enough that my wife "knew" I loved her. I should have told her more often. I know now that "I wish I would have," "I know I should have," and "If I had just one more chance" are the worst things in the world to hear yourself say when it is already too late.


While this letter is sad and depressing, it is a good reminder to all of us to make time often and regularly for our spouse and our marriage. I ran into a married couple I know at the store late in the morning the other day. I asked "Don't you have a job or something you are supposed to be doing"? His response was wonderful, "We both took the day off work to spend time together". How excellent!

Everyone gets the same 86,400 seconds each day. If we are not careful, they can all slip by. Take a few of those seconds and make sure to spend them with your sweetheart.

Read the entire article; the response is one worth pondering.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Goodness! That brought a tear to my eye.

I almost lost my husband five years ago. He was having chest pains. Fortunately, surgery took care of the 90% blockage in one of his coronary arteries that the physician so referred to as the "widow maker". Every day I am thankful I have my husband in my life. A great message!

Matthew O. Smith said...

Chris, thanks for the comment. How wonderful you were able to catch it in time.