"A person’s life is like grass. Like a flower in the field it flourishes, but when the hot wind blows by, it disappears, and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew."
Have you ever cherished someone or something? Merriam-Webster Dictionary's definition for the word cherish is, "to feel or show great love for (someone or something); to remember or hold (an idea, belief, etc.) in a deeply felt way. It also means, "to keep or cultivate with care and affection ".
Those are pretty powerful feelings towards a thing or towards a person. I can't say that I hear the word often except maybe in church or perhaps during a wedding ceremony... you know the vows; to love, honor and cherish. But how many of us keep the cherish vow, do we even know what we mean when we say that word?
Instead of cherishing we tend to take for granted. We take for granted that we will always have some thing in our possession or that we will have that special person in our life, but often that's not the case. Life is fragile, relationships probably even moreso, but yet we continue to take it for granted that tomorrow when we wake those same people, those same things, will be part of our life even if we have failed to cherish, to nurture, that relationship. It's actually quite sad and I must admit that I am just as guilty as you in failing to cherish those that are most important in my life. I put off that phone call or that visit because "I'm just too busy" when in reality it's that I haven't made it a priority in my life.
I'm really thankful that God has chosen to cherish me inspite of me, inspite of my lack of nurturing my relationship with him sometimes. Too often I can get myself so busy that I fail to make him the priority he should be in my life. It's during these times that I find that my whole world becomes chaos ridden because my priorities are all messed up. I'm grateful that God loves me inspite of me being a mess because let's face it, I'd just be an even bigger mess!
Today I was able to visit an Uncle who is facing a mighty battle with cancer. I realized that today is the first time I have ever made it a priority to go visit with him. I believe I was probably the first family member outside of my Aunt and her daughters that he met and from that moment he was always kind and thoughtful towards me. As my own mother was coming to the end of her life a number of years ago in Hospice, he came to visit and hugged me and told me it was all going to be ok and he was there if I needed anything. Those weren't empty words... he meant them.
After I left my Aunt and Uncle, I went to the cemetery to do as I do every year and place flowers at my son's grave. I sat there for a while in the quiet of the graveyard and thought about the names on the monuments all around my son's final resting spot. I wondered about the life story of those around him, were they cherished while they were still here on this earth? Did they know how much they were cherished or did their loved ones put off that phone call, that visit, or that note that just said I was thinking about you and you matter to me.
As the new year approaches many new resolutions will be created and lets face it, by mid-January many will already be broken. BUT, my resolution for this year is to slow down and cherish those relationships in my life that matter and reduce the chaos and busy-ness that I've created for myself. I want to be sure to let those I love know that they matter and that if tomorrow the sun rises without them that they knew how much I cared. My priorities have to change starting with making sure that the one in my life that matters most, my creator, my God, takes first seat and that I cherish and not take for granted that he is always faithful and there each and every day for me. I hope from that I will learn to slow down, breathe and cherish the others around me who encourage me, inspire me, correct me and push me to be better than I was the day before.
If tomorrow never comes (hmmm, sounds like a country song), will those in your life know how much you cherished them? Life is too short to live it with regret. Will we allow those we cherish to be like blades of grass that one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew? I pray that 2014 be a year of cherished memories. 2013 was a year of great loss for many including my own family. May the God who cherishes us all continue to provide you comfort and guidance into the new year.
Under His Wings,
Heather
