Sometimes, More Time Never Comes

Back in December, one of my best friend’s siblings passed away. He had been battling with some illnesses for some time, but he was now at the end of his journey. A few weeks before he passed away, she told me what was going on with him. His health had taken a “turn for the worse” as they call it. A few weeks after that, he was in the hospital fighting for his life. She called me and told me that it wasn’t looking too good for him. The next day, he was no longer fighting, and was simply preparing to receive his eternal rest. At this point, it was only about making him as comfortable as possible. They did what they could to lessen his pain. Soon, his rest came. No more earthly sorrow would ever come his way.  She thought they had more time. 

In January, I saw that my brother’s favorite basketball player, Kobe Bryant, and one of his daughters, along with several others, passed away in an untimely and unfortunate helicopter crash. An amazing basketball player, a man who has made mistakes, but also a man who seems to have learned and grown from them, one who meant so much to so many, even those whom he had never met, one who had so much more work to do, he was just, gone. Suddenly, an overwhelming sadness blanketed so many, my brother being one of them. Nobody thought they would be reading and watching headlines about the death of the Black Mamba. After all, he had a wife, young daughters, a family friends, and many businesses/ philanthropic endeavors, so who could see this coming? They thought they had more time. 

You see, there’s a similarity in these two people. Not in their careers or in their celebrity, but what’s similar is that they both had people who loved them, dearly. Most people who loved them were stunned and their deaths stung. They didn’t think that they had lived out their fullest lives just yet. They didn’t think that the last time they saw them would be the last time that they saw them. They thought there would be more laughs, more hugs, more gatherings, more talks, more “I love you”s, more everything. No one expects to lose their loved ones suddenly or at a young age so unfortunately, there’s really just no way to prepare for it.

Those losses made me start to think. Had I been doing everything that I can to show my loved ones what they mean to me? Have I done all that I can to mend broken relationships that I deeply miss and value? Do I take the initiative to cultivate relationships that I would like to see improve or flourish? Who do I need to apologize to so that the work can be done in order to enter the journey of reconciliation? Have I used anyone or taken them for granted? God, I know better, so please help me along this journey to be and do better.

At the end of the day, we all want to be loved and as quiet as it’s kept, we’ve had times where we just wanted to be right. Sorry to let you down though because we can’t always have that luxury of being right. Sometimes we need to look in the mirror and do some reflection. Fix what YOU need to fix so that you can fix whatever relationship needs some adjustment. Take the time to actually listen to your counterpart because they have valid points as well. Have the hard conversations that you need to have. However, please don’t think that just because you have the conversation you will always have the result(s) that you desire. God knows best and ultimately, His will is what you should be seeking, even if it doesn’t always feel good! Press into Him for guidance concerning ALL of your relationships. 

I love y’all. Whether we speak often or few and far in between, I love you! If you feel like I’ve wronged you, I apologize from the deepest part of me and know that I’m always open to have a conversation. I never want to leave this earth with any ill feelings in my heart or having anyone feel like I’ve wronged them. So, let’s love a little longer, love a little stronger, love a little deeper. We get one chance at this thing called life and love is the best gift that we can receive and give. So let’s stop taking time and each other for granted because after all, sometimes, more time never comes. 

❤️MrR❤️

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