Starting My Day

Zach had a Few Good Men select men’s choir practice at 7:15 this morning at school.  It was my turn to take him and his friend Alex, and after dropping them off at school, I had over an hour to myself before arriving at Mission of Hope.  I chose to go to a local McDonald’s to sit with my laptop and catch up on a few things, including writing a post for my blog.  It’s a beautiful day…the sun is shining!

My not-so-healthy breakfast sandwich is gone, and I’m still enjoying my non-fat latte.  (At least I skipped the hashbrowns!)  I usually don’t do this, but I’m thinking I might start making this a habit. NO ONE is here but me and the few customers who come in to get food to go.  It’s very quiet and peaceful, except for the occasional talk I hear coming from the kitchen and the music coming through the speakers above me.  The drive-thru is busy, that’s for sure.

It’s been a busy few days for our family, and plotting our schedule last night in my datebook revealed to me that the next few weeks and months are going to be even more busy.  I have to say I don’t like that term–busy.  All of us are busy, aren’t we?  That’s just a given.  But it all came rushing back to me last night how very full our schedule was last spring, and I think it’s going to be another spring like that for us this year.  It’s all good stuff though.  I’m thankful, not complaining.

(Oh, so much for the peace and quiet here…two loud men dressed in jeans and hooded sweatshirts are having a conversation as one is on one side of the restaurant and the other is on the other side.  They look like they are on their way to work outside somewhere.)

We received some hard news on Sunday.  Our cousin who is 44 years old had a brain aneurysm on Sunday night, and was taken off life support Sunday afternoon.  She was one of the most healthy women I knew…ate healthy, exercised often, and seemed to really take care of herself.  My heart goes out to her two teenagers…a son and a daughter.  Her death is similar to our friend Jill’s two years ago.  No warning.  No signs.  Suddenly gone.

This again has been a wake up call for me.  We don’t know when our time on this earth will end.  We don’t know when it will end for our loved ones.  Only God knows and His plan is perfect, no matter how painful things can be.  We all need to live each day like it’s our last, and tell often the people in our lives how we love them, appreciate them, respect them and how much we value them.  I’ve been making a conscious effort to do that these last couple of days, and it feels really good.  🙂

I pray for Mary’s children, and entire family, that God will give them peace, strength and comfort during this most difficult time.

Well, it’s time for me to leave and head to Mission of Hope for the day.  I look forward to seeing what God is going to do there today!  I’m going to live today like it’s my last.  I hope you will too!  I pray you have a great day!