When I bought my car, it came with Sirius FM radio which has allowed me to listen to different types of music. I’ve found that I enjoy ‘re-listening’ to country music from the 80s and 90s. Recently, I heard Garth Brooks sing If Tomorrow Never Comes, a song where he wonders, if he died during the night, would his wife know how much he loves her. Here’s the chorus:
If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she’s my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face this world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes
That’s pretty powerful stuff. But he continues by considering the past:
‘Cause I’ve lost loved ones in my life
Who never knew how much I loved them
Now I live with the regret
That my true feelings for them never were revealed
So I made a promise to myself
To say each day how much she means to me
And avoid that circumstance
Where there’s no second chance to tell her how I feel
We are in a culture when many times we do not express our feelings. We keep things to ourselves. We don’t want to put ourselves out there. We don’t want to overstep. Or, if you are like me, you don’t want to cry in front of people when you get all honest and mushy.
And yet, when I have stepped out and shared with people, I have been richly rewarded by their responses. During this pandemic, I’ve been trying to write honest notes to friends – to encourage them, and to let them know how I feel about them. Things that I would not normally say face-to-face. What fun to hear back from them and to deepen our relationship as they respond.
Too often we take people for granted. Or perhaps we take for granted that they already know how we feel. Years ago, my dear friend lost her young daughter to an illness. I had visited with the family just days before because she was getting better. I had the prompting to hug her, but refrained because I didn’t know how she would react. Less than a week later she was gone. I regret holding back, and I try not to ever again disregard a prompting like that. I will get no second chance with her on this earth.
I encourage you, dear ladies, take the time now to let people (including your pastor’s wife!) know how much you appreciate them. How they have influenced your life, encouraged you, or lifted your spirits. How much you admire them for using their talents. How much you love their smile. If you can’t do it face-to-face, do it in a hand-written note. Just do it!
Because we never know how much time any of us have left. Don’t let there be any regrets.
Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
