There was a time when the memories of Mr. Virgo and me that pop up on FB would make me cry. They don’t any more. Nearly always, they make me smile. They bring a flood of warmth and a reminder of what an amazing life I lead…then and now. These are good things. This shows healing, grace, mercy, and personal growth.
As I looked through my Facebook feed last night, I stumbled upon a memory from exactly eleven years ago. Even before Mr. Virgo’s passing, I was becoming more aware how finite our time on this Earth really is. I can’t say that I “knew” our time together would be short because I never really let myself think about that. I was very busy living in the here and now. That being said…and hindsight being 20/20…I must have had some deep feeling about it. Because, I wrote this:
Life’s “Sweet Treat” of the Day: Actually, this is from last night. [Mr. Virgo] and I always go to sleep like two spoons in a drawer. Since I’ve been adjusting to my new schedule, I sometimes go to bed before him and it can be easy to fall asleep and not make that spoon. Last night I was drifting off and a thought came to me. What if this was the last day we were together and God took one of us home? How would I feel the next day if I’d missed the opportunity? Needless to say…a spoon was made! Don’t ever miss those golden moments you can share while you have your loved one by your side!
Written September 2011
Mr. Virgo died in March 2013.
This is as much…if not more so…a teaching moment about the fragility of life. The Bible tells us we will not know the number of days in our life. Therefore, it is imperative to make sure each one of those days count. I am human. I can easily become complacent and forget my own warning. I sometimes get caught up in the minutia of living. The mowing. The cooking. The cleaning. We all get caught up in the petty annoyances of sharing life with another human being…especially in the Age of Covid when we are thrust together 24/7/365.
I know for a fact that many of you are on your own now. Widowed. Divorced. Single by choice or alone by chance…either way, we can be reminded too late of those woulda-shoulda-couldas. If, God forbid, my sweet Mr. FixIt should pass before me, I don’t want to wish I would have told him more often how much he means to me. I don’t want to remember a hurt look or a neglected moment.
We can’t be “on” all the time, but we can certainly make a more concerted effort to keep our relationships fresh and healthy, alive and hopeful, honored and respected. That is my vow today as I reread these words I wrote over a decade ago…to be a better person to this fellow human with whom I share a life. We all deserve that.
We went to the farm yesterday to mow. It sorely needed it, but the grass is petering out as the season wanes. My guess is, there won’t be but a time or two more and we’ll be done with it for the year. As we drove there, we came around a curve and there was an Animal Control Officer in his truck parked crosswise…lights flashing. Beyond him, a young woman led a number of horses down the center of the road making a right turn up a driveway. Someone’s horses got loose. I whispered “Thank you, Jesus!” I was so grateful they weren’t there in the road, in a blind turn.
We ran to town after we finished mowing to have the oil changed in the truck. The brakes started shimmying a little which indicates the rotors are a little warped. They’ll need rotated but they can’t get to it till we get back. It won’t hurt anything driving to our campsite today. We still have plenty of brake pad left. It makes me wonder if I need to adjust the trailer brakes to grab a little bit more. I can to that today when we hitch up the camper to leave.
The temperature was predicted to be 41° last night. The highs while we are camping this week will be in the 60’s and the lows in the 40’s every night. When we were waiting for the truck to be finished in the automotive department at Walmart last evening, we shopped and bought three essentials for the trip…a toaster, an electric tea kettle, and a small ceramic heater. As I’m writing this, I’m very glad I have that little heater. There is a propane furnace in the camper, but it gives off an odor and it was a touch smoky when it was in use. Mr. FixIt assures me that’s because it hadn’t been used yet. Either way, the ceramic heater is not as noisy, there is no odor, and why use up our propane when we can use the electric we are paying for at the campground?
We have camped at this campground before, however I cannot remember what the cell service was like so if for some reason I can’t get a post scheduled…I’ll be back in civilization on Saturday.
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“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 ESV