We all have an expiration date, and no one can tell you when it is. Doesn’t milk sometimes spoil before its expiration date? So why do we think we have so much time? I don’t say this to evoke fear. You may be one of the lucky ones who live to see 100, but your friends and family members may not be so lucky.
I’ve been to more funerals in my 44 years of living than I could’ve ever imagined. The daunting part is how many were for young people under 50. The youngest I’ve seen laid to rest was only 11 years old when I was only 10 years old. His death was so horrific that it gave me nightmares.
You shouldn’t try to put a time stamp on anyone’s life, but it does make sense to pay frequent visits to someone on hospice or bedridden, as opposed to someone who is healthy. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t wait until the person becomes bedridden to pay a visit.
If you’re a busy person with a big family and lots of friends like myself, you must make appointments and plan trips or social gatherings. Lately, I’ve been setting appointments with my friends and haven’t broken any so far. Use your smartphone and add it to your calendar, as you would any other event deemed important.
Make appointments 📆
If you’re a social person, invite a friend as your plus one to some party or event. Why go alone? As you can see, sometimes opportunities will present themselves. That could be the last memory you create with that person.
If you have a group of friends, plan a day for biking, bowling, golfing, wine tasting, painting, or a small gathering at your home or there’s. These are just a few examples, but there’s so much more you can do as a group.
Family matters most 👨👩👧👦
Family members should see each other often, if living locally. Turn some of that talking and texting into a meet up. Before there was FaceTime or Duo, you had to pull up. FaceTime and Duo are great, but there’s nothing more beautiful than having physical contact with the ones you love.
When my daughter accepted her first travel nurse assignment, I knew I would miss her. Though she moved out a few years ago, she was only 60 miles away as opposed to being 600 miles away. Every time she would visit, it felt like Christmas. I was opening a new gift of joy and happiness.
That’s the same feeling I get when I see any of my kids who have left the nest, if I hadn’t seen them in a while. But with my daughter, it was different because she was so far away in an unfamiliar town with no family members nearby.
Whenever you see any of your loved ones, you should greet them and treat them like it’s the last time you’ll see them. Don’t take any of the time you spend together for granted because tomorrow is never promised to any of us.
Marriage doesn’t make you exempt 🚫
Married people, I know it can be difficult to divide your time, especially if you have kids or any other full-time commitment. But it’s not impossible.
If both of you have kids, invite them over for a play date and let them jump on that trampoline or partake in some game time together while you get caught up on your busy lives over some wine and refreshments.
If you don’t have any kids, have an adult play date right at your house. You don’t always have to go to some venue. Tidy up your home, and invite your friends and family members over. If you love them like you say you do, then you would invite them to your home, be it a house, condo, apartment, or mobile home.
I miss living close to family for that reason. There was always something going on at my house, especially with so many birthdays in the family and holidays, of course. But most visits were unexpected or unplanned house visits. Those were the best! We didn’t have an agenda. Oftentimes, we just sat around laughing and talking.
What happened to people? Has all this technology made you lazy? Are your jobs more important than your loved ones? This does not apply to everyone. Technology is a great way to keep in touch with your loved ones from a distance. I’m talking to the ones who are not distant and can make time to see each other as often as possible. You determine the frequency of your visits, but it should not be years, even if you are 600 miles away.
Stop making excuses 🙅🏽♀️
Money or time should not be an excuse to create more memories with the ones you love. Therefore, when God calls them home, you’ll have peace knowing that you shared a significant part of their lives and brought them nothing but joy. Grief is more painful when there’s guilt or regret.
And remember…
“Make sense of what you do, and make every cent count.”
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