The recent passing of Whitney Houston has made me think a lot about how precious each moment in life is.
In 2005 one of my best friends (Adrianne) passed away from breast cancer. I knew she was sick and I knew she was close to dying. What I didn't know was that the plans we had made during my last visit with her would never happen. I left her house on a Tuesday making arrangements to come back two days later with a pair of fuzzy socks that she had wanted. I bought the socks for her; I bought several pair so she would be able to enjoy them throughout the week. When I called her house that Thursday to arrange a time to come over, her husband told me she was unable to communicate - she had deteriorated and was incoherent. Two days later she passed away. When I hung up the phone with him I sat there and looked at the socks and wondered, now what?
In 2008, my beautiful, vibrant 23 year old cousin Deirdre passed away
unexpectedly in her sleep. I still can't help but wonder who she talked to
last... What plans did she have for the next day? Who had she told, I'll
call/text you tomorrow, next week, or soon? As shocking as unexpected deaths are, they have a way of waking something up in us - if we allow them to. This awakening calls upon us to think about what we think about. To watch what we're watching. To hear what we're saying. To take advantage of the season of our lives where God is calling us to reach higher heights.
Friday, February 10, I was at home surfing the internet checking out a couple of my guilty pleasures: Mediatakeout.com and TMZ.com (speaking of time wasters). I was on one of the sites when I saw pictures of Whitney from the night before leaving a club in LA. Her hair was disheveled, she had, what looked to me to be red wine, streaming down her leg, and she looked distraught. I couldn't help but wonder about her in that moment and I prayed that she was healthy. I spent some time surfing the internet for stories and pictures of her and watched a few of her videos.
The next day when I heard the news of her passing I was shocked! When I heard about how she was scheduled to sing at a party Saturday night, I thought, she must have had plans for the rest of the day, just like the socks I bought for my friend Adrianne. I imagine her dress, shoes, jewelry all laid out waiting for her to wear them well. I suspect that maybe she had dinner plans for later that night. She went in to take a routine bath leaving people from her "camp" in the suite with her. And just like that, she was gone.
Last year God put several things on my heart to do. Write. Start a non-profit. Volunteer. Pay off credit card debt. Let go of some situations, a few people and several things that are not serving me. I was obedient for a time and was able to tackle some of the things God was calling me to do, but then I lost focus. I put some of the other things on the back burner because of work and other stuff that began to cloud my vision.
I do not want to live in fear of dying, but I also do not want to live my life in a way that doesn't consider the fact that tomorrow may never come - at least on earth. As sad as I am about Whitney's passing and the passing of Adrianne and Deirdre, I am grateful for the lesson. I was asleep and needed to be awakened! I'm up now! -tdh
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ Mark 13: 32-37
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