No Regrets
Today (Sunday) was a day that I got two reminders of the shortness of life. One reminder was of a real life friend of mine and the other was a movie I just got done watching with my wife.
First reminder was an e-mail I got from my now passed friend Gabe's wife. A very brief history of my friend is summed up like this. He was a smiling fun loving Italian guy that always made everyone around him happy. He had a heart attack when we worked together as supervisors in the factory. He never recovered and returned. He was my age (47) and ended up fighting for his life for the rest of it. He had several heart attacks many stints and then contracted cancer.
It was an ugly 13yr. battle. I watched as he went through all the different stages of hair loss and being bloated from steroids. I visited when I could but it wasn't enough. I went through times of forgetting about him and not visiting because I was to busy. I feel bad about that now.
The e-mail today was a slideshow of Gabes life. The show was timed with the Mercy Me song of I can only Imagine. The very song I would like to have played at my funeral. As I sat there crying at my computer I remembered something else! They were playing a Christian song about his life. I then remembered that loudmouthed Italian had accepted Jesus and was ready (begging at the end) to see him! I remember times when he was cursing God and not understanding why him. Then he came to terms with it. I remember turning my life over to Jesus during this whole ordeal and getting to share with him my journey to faith. I had the priveledge near the end to pray with him knowing it was probably the last time I would ever see him. Gabe passed this summer and I miss him. He was an instrumental part of my understanding Jesus and what grace really means. Gabe would not have fit into alot of churches. He was still a loudmouthed laughing cursing italian until the very end. But he probably was closer to the real heart of Jesus than alot of us. He was always going the extra mile to help a guy at work. He was always checking on the guys on the weekend when most of us wanted to be away. He never wanted to talk about himself when I visited. He always wanted to knowabout me and my family. Anyways I know he is with Jesus and probably telling him a good joke or two.
Later tonight Deb and I rented a movie called Riegn over me. Adam Sandler plays a guy who lost his wife and three daughters in a plane that crashed into the towers on 9-11. The movie shows a husband that has gone crazy because he can't handle the reality of losing his precious wife and daughters.
So what has this got me thinking? Well lately we've been contemplating alot of changes in our lives. I think most would call them idealistic, extreme and probably a little nuts. But I look at it this way. We only get a short time to live this thing called life. Why not live it to the full and bless as many as we can along the way. I think Jesus won't have a problem with that! I think I would rather live life on the bold exciting side than play it safe and bored. Jesus said he came to be with the sick so I figure I'm supposed to follow his example. I think it's time to step away from the comfortable "healthy" huddles and go touch some lepers!
I told a friend of mine the other day that I didn't have time to waste it being comfortable and bored. I want to be able to say at the end of my life that I have no regrets. That's a tall goal but isn't it worth shooting for?
Love to all,
Randy
First reminder was an e-mail I got from my now passed friend Gabe's wife. A very brief history of my friend is summed up like this. He was a smiling fun loving Italian guy that always made everyone around him happy. He had a heart attack when we worked together as supervisors in the factory. He never recovered and returned. He was my age (47) and ended up fighting for his life for the rest of it. He had several heart attacks many stints and then contracted cancer.
It was an ugly 13yr. battle. I watched as he went through all the different stages of hair loss and being bloated from steroids. I visited when I could but it wasn't enough. I went through times of forgetting about him and not visiting because I was to busy. I feel bad about that now.
The e-mail today was a slideshow of Gabes life. The show was timed with the Mercy Me song of I can only Imagine. The very song I would like to have played at my funeral. As I sat there crying at my computer I remembered something else! They were playing a Christian song about his life. I then remembered that loudmouthed Italian had accepted Jesus and was ready (begging at the end) to see him! I remember times when he was cursing God and not understanding why him. Then he came to terms with it. I remember turning my life over to Jesus during this whole ordeal and getting to share with him my journey to faith. I had the priveledge near the end to pray with him knowing it was probably the last time I would ever see him. Gabe passed this summer and I miss him. He was an instrumental part of my understanding Jesus and what grace really means. Gabe would not have fit into alot of churches. He was still a loudmouthed laughing cursing italian until the very end. But he probably was closer to the real heart of Jesus than alot of us. He was always going the extra mile to help a guy at work. He was always checking on the guys on the weekend when most of us wanted to be away. He never wanted to talk about himself when I visited. He always wanted to knowabout me and my family. Anyways I know he is with Jesus and probably telling him a good joke or two.
Later tonight Deb and I rented a movie called Riegn over me. Adam Sandler plays a guy who lost his wife and three daughters in a plane that crashed into the towers on 9-11. The movie shows a husband that has gone crazy because he can't handle the reality of losing his precious wife and daughters.
So what has this got me thinking? Well lately we've been contemplating alot of changes in our lives. I think most would call them idealistic, extreme and probably a little nuts. But I look at it this way. We only get a short time to live this thing called life. Why not live it to the full and bless as many as we can along the way. I think Jesus won't have a problem with that! I think I would rather live life on the bold exciting side than play it safe and bored. Jesus said he came to be with the sick so I figure I'm supposed to follow his example. I think it's time to step away from the comfortable "healthy" huddles and go touch some lepers!
I told a friend of mine the other day that I didn't have time to waste it being comfortable and bored. I want to be able to say at the end of my life that I have no regrets. That's a tall goal but isn't it worth shooting for?
Love to all,
Randy
posted by Randy W. @ 10:12 PM
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