Is it Really That Important?
Years after I first heard the sentence, “We went to bed a happy married couple and I woke up a widower.” still haunt me as one of the most horrible things I have ever heard. They came from and old friend I had not spoken with in ten years. My accountant of many years retired. I received a welcome letter from the person who inherited my account. I recognized the name and called his number, left a message saying, hi and how happy I was that someone I knew was to handle my account. A few hours later he returned my call and we spent the first few minutes catching up. He asked me about my wife and kids. I said, “I did not know you were an accountant now” and asked him what else he was up to these days. He said, he had gotten remarried. Unfortunately, these days it is not uncommon to hear a statement like that but I was a little surprised. Last I had seen them they were very happy and devoted to one another, doing all the right things to make the oath they had taken of marriage last for life. I responded with the standard, “Oh, I didn’t know you were divorced.” “I wasn’t,” he said. “Janet died six years ago.” In my shock and horror, I attempted to quickly think of something intelligent to say while a flood of questions came to mind contemplating all the ways a mid-thirty year old could die. Was an auto accident or something like that? Were others involved? His daughters are they alright? When I finally blurted out the only thing I could utter. “How?” “One morning she just didn’t wake up,” he said. “We went to bed at night a happy married couple with two great kids and all things right in our world and I woke up the next morning a widower.” I was so stunned by his answer I was sure the silence was deafening.
After our conversation completed, I spent time musing over what he had said. thought of all the people I have known over the years who have passed away, how they had died, how I felt and how their death affected me. Those who passed well up in years like, parents and grandparents, it was sad when they passed but not unexpected. Then there were those who are taken in some tragic accident or act of violence. Those are more traumatizing even when not being close to them, you feel the effect from the shear impact of unexpected violent death. And, I considered those who just stopped living, dying unexpected while right in the middle of everyday life. I am sure everyone has a list like this and everyone on that list has the same thing in common. One second, they were alive the next they were not.
Weather you believe the bible is true or not there can be no doubt, it is full of knowledge for successful living. In the book of Mathew, Jesus said; “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” In the book of wisdom written by Solomon, it says; “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” and James writes; “…you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
When you get right down to it, death is the one thing we all have in common. We all spend great effort and expense trying to beat it, but we all will experience it eventually. For none of us get out of this game of life alive. So, the next time you find yourself in an argument with someone or mad for what you perceive someone did to you. Ask yourself. Is it really that important when compared to the grand scope of life? And how will I feel if that is the last time I speak to that person? If you are honest with yourself and I mean really honest I would bet you would have to answer; “no it’s really not.”