Sharing Life

First of all, allow me to say, "I love my wife". I say that because she probably doesn't hear it often enough. Truthfully, we tend to take the ones closest to us for granted. We just assume that they will always be there.

The Lord only gives us one day at a time. Sometimes, even that can be a bit overwhelming.

I lost my dad in 2000. He was 69 years old. He was my coach, my friend, my mentor, my role model and my hero. Growing up, we spent lots of time together. He was the king of inappropriate humor, and he had an arid sarcastic wit. I think about him often and miss him more than words can say. What I wouldn't give for just one more day with him, just sitting on the couch watching TV. No deep philosophical discussion, quite possibly no interaction at all. Just spending time with him would be more than enough.

I lost the bride of my youth when she was only 34 years old. We were married for 12 years. One Sunday afternoon, we were eating ice cream and walking along the waterfront. The very next morning, she was gone.

My daughter lives in an area that might be considered somewhat questionable at certain hours of the night. I pray that the Lord will keep her safe. But, she loves life. She strives to make every minute of every hour of every day count. She is not content to sit on the curb and watch the parade go by. She wants to be a part of the parade. If she could, she would be up there on the float with Ferris singing "Danke Shein", or better yet, "Shake it up baby, twist and shout". Her mom liked to "shake things up". Her mom liked to "carpe diem". I'm glad that my daughter and her mom have a lot of the same attributes.

I took my son to college this week. How I love that boy. Actually, he has grown into quite a successful young man, a man of integrity, a man of character. Others may not see it, but I can look past the mop top hair, scruffy face, locked jaw, folded arms, and caustic wit. He reminds me more of my dad each day.

Last Christmas, my father-in-law almost checked out. He was in ICU for a few days and it looked pretty bad. My wife was devastated. Her dad was incoherent and he was wasting away. With prayer, he turned the corner and began to heal. We spent time with him pretty much every day over the following few weeks. She had a second chance to show him how much he meant to her, a second chance to just spend time with him.

My mom lives in Humboldt. I talk to her every few weeks. I hope she knows how much I love her. Maybe I should call.

My daughter lives 30 minutes away. I talk to her about once a week. I hope she knows how much I love her. Maybe I should call.

My son lives 400 miles away. I rarely talk to him. I hope he knows how much I love him. Maybe I should call. Who am I kidding? He never answers his phone. Maybe it's time to schedule a road trip.

My wife is in the next room watching TV. I hope she knows how much I love her. I think I'm gonna go in there and tell her, or show her, or just spend time with her. No words are needed, just sharing life.

My dad is looking down from heaven. He already knows how much he means to me. He already knows how much I love him. Although, I do miss watching TV with him, and I do miss watching TV with my son, and I do miss watching TV with my daughter.

I think I'm gonna go watch TV with my wife . . . . . . . and share life.