I couldn't got through today without thinking about 9/11. I spent a sizeable part of my life living in America and like most people who were alive in 2001, I remember exactly where I was when I heard about the Twin Towers. I was at home in my flat and a plumber came round to fix something in our bathroom. As soon as he walked in he asked me to turn the news on. It was surreal watching the second plane go into the Towers, and I phoned my parents who were living in England again by that time and we watched it happening together. One of my work friends had just left the company I worked for in Philadelphia and moved to New York. His office was in one of the towers and all I could think about was if he was OK. Miraculously he was sick that day and had stayed home but he watched the horror unfold from his apartment and all of his colleagues died. Such a tragedy.
One of the things that made a profound impact on me during this event was reading the obituaries in the paper of those who lost their lives. One in particular stood out to me as it was for a woman who was my age. All it said about her was she liked fashion, shopping and shoes or something to that effect. I'm sure there was a lot more to her life than those things, but the fact that her whole life was condensed into about 4 lines of black and white text and the most profound thing anyone could say about her was she liked to shop, made me deeply sad and reflective.
There's a text in the Bible found in Psalm 90:12 that says, "teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom." My mind went to this text then and it goes there now. It's only when we fully recognise the fragility of life that we learn how to live it well. Corona Virus has brought life's fragility back into focus recently and although there's never been any guarantee of tomorrow, I realise that I have taken my life and health for granted in the past.
Remembering this all today, I was thinking about what I want my obituary to say. I want to live my life well so people have something more to say about me than the superficial. I want to make a difference on the world in my own small way and to leave a mark of grace and kindness wherever I go.
My quote for today is from Rich Mullins' song Let Mercy Lead.
Let mercy lead
Let love be the strength in your legs
And in every footprint that you leave
There'll be a drop of grace
If we can reach
Beyond the wisdom of this age
Into the foolishness of God
That foolishness will save
Those who believe
Although their foolish hearts may break
They will find peace
Where mercy leads
My photo for today is from a recent walk. Nature always brings me back to what really matters and helps me contemplate and appreciate God and feel grateful to be alive. This photo reminds me that life is fleeting and beautiful.
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