Power Verse…… “There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:." (The Message Translation: Read Ecclesiastes chapter 3.)

We have all been in the company of someone, or listened to someone on TV, or read an article in a newspaper or magazine, or followed the advice of a respected preacher, who were all promoting waiting, waiting for the right moment before we act? There is of course a place in life to stop and take stock, re-evaluate, meditate and pray for guidance for specific and important decisions we have to take in life.

However, I do not believe we ought to get so good at waiting that we never act. How often have we yawned and passively muttered, “Maybe, someday” as we have let an opportunity pass us by. Like inviting some old friends over for tea or out for a meal to reminisce about old times. Like using the old and valuable china, or celebrating a birthday…..or slipping away for a weekend of relaxation and romance….or walking in the country for a day….or spending some quality time with family. Too often we hear…..“Not this year…but maybe someday….”

Don’t wait! If you continue such passivity, someday will never come, and you will regret it for the rest of your days. This was brought powerfully to mind when I came across the following portion of an article that appeared in an American newspaper.

The writer Ann Wells wrote:
My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package….He discarded the tissue and handed me the beautiful slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure was still attached.
“Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least eight or nine years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion.”
He took the slip from me, and with tears in his eyes laid it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the undertaker. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, and then he slammed the drawer shut and turning to me said.
“Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you are alive is a special occasion.”

I remembered those words through the funeral service, and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death…

I still think about these words, and they’ve changed my life….I’m nor “saving” anything. We use our good china and crystal for every special event….like losing a few pounds….or re-decorating the house…..or receiving a good medical report….or welcoming the first sign of spring’s new life.

“Someday”, “one of these days”, “and maybe tomorrow” are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing I want to see and hear and do it now…..I am now trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and lustre and quality to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes I tell myself that today is a special day.

Remember: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift.
That’s why they call it the present.