I recently received an email from a friend who has a 1 ½ inch tumor in the back of her brain. They think it is benign but still want to do surgery. She has opted to wait and see if it grows since the recovery time would be substantial and the quality of life not guaranteed.
“I know you have a special understanding of facing a life-altering situation, but the reality for me is that we all have that hanging over our heads from the day we enter this life – just not in the face,” she wrote in her email.
Yes, my friend, it is in our face. Its reminders are on our calendars, scars on our bodies, and looks on the faces of family and friends. We can’t get away from it.
We don’t have the blessing of naivety. Or denial. Or the energy to ignore it.
But what do we have? We have a perspective that every moment counts. Nothing is to be wasted. Even sleep isn’t wasted time but has a restorative effect. A smile communicates when we can’t talk. A touch of the hand reaches out, connecting two lives.
Sometimes, I feel sad for others who don’t have this reality “in the face.” They are so oblivious to their opportunities. They don’t realize the impact of their frown or unkind words.
They don’t realize that we all have an expiration date.
Expiration dates–do we on any given day give them any thought? You’re in a sacred space of being given the chance to see it more clearly and honestly than many others, including me. Your perspective is so grand–we need to live each day with an urgency that allows us to be the best we can be at any given moment and not let pettiness and foolishness undermine how God is and can use us. Thanks for this, Mags.