This week, I learned that a family friend from our church was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. He sustained life-threatening injuries and no one was sure if he'd make it through the night. He did. But then he lost his battle the following morning.
Between the time of his accident and his final passing, he was incredibly unstable. His heart stopped twice. He had a pacemaker put in. He was placed on a ventilator. He was placed on dialysis when his kidneys failed. And he suffered a heart attack in the middle of all of this.
I tell you this not to make you sad or uncomfortable. I tell you this because things like this happen every day to the people right next to us. We don't see it coming and we can't prepare for it. I know it's cliché, but life is short, so you need to live every day as if it was your last.
I may not have been very close to this man, but I knew enough about him to know how much he meant to his family and our church community.
He was a father of four hard-working kids. Three of them are in college and one is in high school. He loved his children and his wife and always did everything for them. He may never have had much money, but he made sure his family always had what they needed. He worked extra hard to allow his kids to go on the yearly church retreat that meant the world to them.
He was quirky and was never afraid to show it. He would suggest funny YouTube videos my mom should watch and he talked about nerdy transportation apps with my dad. And no matter how cheesy it was, he would always tell you the latest joke he heard just to put a smile on your face.
He had his priorities straight. Family and those around him always came first. There wasn't a selfish bone in his body. Everything he did and everything he worked for went to those he cared about.
He surrounded himself with people close to him and he showed them love every chance he could. He joked with his kids, sat with his wife in church and was active in our community.
I think we all should live a little more like him.
We should work hard for the people we love and show them every day how much they mean to us. If we spend money on someone else, we should spend our money on experiences we will remember. We should lay out our priorities. We should put a smile on the faces of those around us.
So, in honor of this wonderful man, I challenge you to live life to the fullest.
Text an old friend. Call your parents and distant family members. Spend the $10 to go to a movie. Go for a walk with your friend. Decorate your room with cheap, cheesy Christmas decorations (after Thanksgiving, of course!). Sing obnoxiously in the car. Make the corny joke you know you want to make.
Don't be afraid to live your life because today is a gift and tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
