I was traveling to East Texas recently. On my way I listened to “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin (this song takes me WAY back). As I was singing to my audience of one (myself), the lyrics reminded me about this blog and that my original title was supposed to be “Never Too Late.” By the end of the song, however, I realized there are many times in our lives when we are too late.
My intention for the title of “Never Too Late” was to say it’s never too late to turn your life around, to take a better path. But I can’t really say that, because our days on this earth are numbered and only God knows when our days are over.
Take for instance my own experience … every year I intend to spend more time with my niece and her family. And every year, we say, “I don’t know where the time went this year.” Another example, when a friend is transitioning from one stage of life to another, there’s a lot I want to say .. . a lot I need to say … but do I? Then there’s fussing and feuding, too. Disputes, resentments, anger, unforgiveness – he said this, she said that – and neither side yielding to extend a hand of forgiveness because of pride or being just too darn stubborn. Good grief!
So when is it too late? It’s too late to tell someone you’re sorry at their funeral , with remorse and regret beating you up the rest of your life. It’s too late when you could have brightened someone’s day with a kind word, but instead looked the other way, losing the opportunity to see that person again. And it’s definitely too late when you’ve reached the end of your life without making the biggest decision of your life about Whom you place your faith in.
So hug your kids, kiss your wife, tell your neighbor hello and have a good day. Send a note to someone you haven’t seen in a while to say you miss them. Call that friend or relative and tell them it’s more important to you to have a relationship with them than being “right” in the disagreement. And in this Christmas season, remember why that baby born in a manager in Bethlehem came to us in the first place.
Merry Christmas!
Tagged: Christmas, east texas, forgiveness, grief and loss
