 Second Chances
The other day as I drove to work, I had one of those defining moments when I realized just how lucky I was to still have the opportunity to tell those close to me that I loved them. The day before, my sister-in-law emailed me to tell me about the tragic events unfolding at Virgina Tech that very morning and how her son, my nephew, was safe in his dorm room. It wasn't until this drive into work the next morning that the full wave of what-if's crashed into my mind. What if my nephew, Shane, would have been one of the victims? In one moment of time, the lives of everyone touched by him in some capacity would have been forever changed. Then it really hit me, I never would have had the chance to tell him how much I loved him again or how proud I was of the young man he had become.
Everyday we live our lives not knowing what the next second will bring to us. I've been guilty at times of leaving a misunderstanding with a friend, co-worker, or loved one unresolved, counting that at some later day we'll work it out. Fortunately for me, I've always been given that second chance to apologize when I've been stubbornly allowing that unpromised time to pass. The reality of the Virginia Tech Massacre taught me, however, that I should never feel entitled to waste this precious time because it may not be there a second from now. I'm no longer going to count on that second chance to tell someone I love him or forgive him or am sorry for hurting him. I'm going to strive to say it the first time around.
To celebrate the love and happiness in our lives, Amy Law has designed a beautiful sampler: Tomato Vine Sampler. |
