Living Like There’s No Tomorrow

I know that’s easy for me to say. I’ve long passed raising a family, working a full-time job and lots of other responsibilities. But having the grands with me has sure reminded me of what it takes to feed, nurture, wash their clothes, plan their days and activities, and keep them busy enough to not be glued to their phones social media and gaming. It’s a work-out and I feel you, moms and dads. I once was there right with you. Well, maybe not with the cell phone activities, but I did know it was a work out to keep them entertained. I don’t ever hear: “I’m so bored” these days, like I heard when raising my children. There are so many options when traveling or just waiting for us.

Still, as long as I have these grandchildren with me, I’m “living like there’s no tomorrow”! Making memories, being silly, playing games, eating at their favorite restaurants, cooking their favorite meals, etc. I’ll admit I’m running out of options so those phones come in handy when I’m writing my next day’s blog.

The boys wanted me to see the new Spiderman and so we went on Saturday. Confession: I’m a Spiderman fan. I like his youth and innocence, his courage and the fact that a youth is the superhero. Spoiler Alert – if you haven’t seen it yet (and, believe me, it’s worth seeing)! Spider Man and his high school buddies do some major globe-hopping. They make it to Venice and I recall the precious memory of my husband and I celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary there. Riding in a gondola (like Spiderman and his buddies), we called home to our children. Another scene was in Berlin and a flashback came of us with our backpacks traveling via ferry, taxi on the autobahn, and the train and into Berlin (one of our rare “flying by the seat of our pants” adventure). Another scene was in Holland and I recalled to the boys that I was there with my friends at the Tulip Festival.

I titled this blog “Living Like There is No Tomorrow” and I realize that I/we have done that – in the meager times when we’d go camping in tents, roasting marshmallows and fishing with our young children to make memories and moments count. The trip to Sweden, Denmark and Germany came as a result of my husband winning an 8-day all-expense-paid trip – a true blessing from God and my husband’s winning putt at an LPGA tournament contest. We lived like there was no tomorrow by being willing to back-pack to places we had never been before and my trip to Holland was an adventure with friends.

Having this precious time with my grandchildren is a change from my normal and comfortable routine, but living like there is no tomorrow means making every minute count in this day. I’m doing that today. We are heading back to Austin to spend several days celebrating my son’s birthday. We will laugh, eat, reminisce and celebrate his life. We’ll live and celebrate like there is no tomorrow. That's just the way our family rolls.

My encouragement to you is to join me in living like there is no tomorrow. Maybe, not so much with the need to travel to distant locations, but to live with no regrets. Live now like there is no tomorrow. Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?” explains that we have no guarantee of tomorrow because we don't know when it’s time for us to leave earth. We are famous for postponing things where we shouldn't. Our schedules may be busy, but making time for things and people that matter – in the light of eternity.

Today’s blog motive is an encouragement to us to live everyday like there's no tomorrow. Tomorrow just may not come – it didn’t for my sweet grandfather who went to bed beside his beloved wife and never woke up. It didn’t for those in the Twin Towers on 9/11 who went to their routine job and never saw another day. Don’t postpone anything, do it now. Don’t stress over little or big things – like my guest bathroom toilet overflowing yesterday. Breathe, get the plunger, clean up the mess... and let it go. Choose love over anger and hate. Spend time with God – getting right with Him – settling once and for all “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Since God is in control, and we’re not – we can make choices to be happy, to smile, laugh, use wisdom when we speak, and answer with love. Living this day and every day like there is no tomorrow.

Gridlock Traffic or the Autobahn?

Years ago, my husband won an 8-day, all expenses paid trip for us to Malmo, Sweden to attend the Solheim Cup with the LPGA women. It was one of the highlights of our lives and besides being there for the Europe/USA Solheim Cup, we were able to venture out on our own pre-tournament. One adventure was taking an overnight ferry to Riedstadt, Germany then taking a taxi that drove the Autobahn to get us to the train station to get to Berlin. What a wild and crazy ride that was, compared to the 3-wheel bike taxi we took in Berlin!

On the Autobahn, there are sections with no speed limit which means speeding cars can suddenly appear out of nowhere and zoom past you at speeds exceeding 100 mph. You may be doing the “recommended” speed of 80 mph and see German drivers passing you as if you were standing still. Oh. My. Goodness. Our driver was weaving around cars like a race car driver.

Fast forward to my living in the metropolitan area of Dallas tollways and highways, and besides the usual daily morning and evening traffic, you’ll find gridlock traffic (no vehicular movement possible).

Life is really a journey, isn’t it? From the fast lanes to the gridlock traffic. On one hand, we are moving about at breakneck speed – connecting all the dots with no interference, getting our to-do lists and our daily routines done and out of the way. We are in robotic mode of getting up, getting on with our day with no surprises and no mammoth undertakings to handle. Sometimes the scenery changes and we might ride with someone new, having fun, enjoying the people and the ride, but sometimes, in retrospect, it may feel like being in the fast lane keeps us from really enjoying the scenery, the beauty of the moments, the kiss that is more than a peck, the hug that lasts more than a moment, the deep breaths and exhaling all the concerns and worries of each day. Today I want you to know that God is calling us to park the car for a few moments and turn off the noise, escape the crowds, and listen to His gentle voice beckoning us to a life filled with joy and great purpose. If we were riding along on the Autobahn this morning and we suddenly realized that it’s not getting us where we need to go, then we know we need to do something. If we are hearing God’s voice calling us to a journey that “notices, embraces and treasures” the moments of the journey, then we need to slow down.

When God is made part of our daily “rides”, whether there is smooth sailing and, in fact, making progress in every area of life, or whether our “rides” turn up with gridlock traffic that halts our best-laid-plans and gives us heart-breaking surprises – it is still a vital part of our life journey. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, we never learn much about ourselves during our times of victory (the times of Autobahn speed and getting to our destination way ahead of schedule), but who we are and what we're really made of are in those gridlock traffic times of challenge when we're forced to slow down and look deep in our hearts and look to God for His support, guidance, and wisdom.

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."