Make The Most Of The Moments

After my recent post about a Bo & Sandy Short tape, I decided to listen to another tape by this couple called "Wood For The Fire". On this tape, Bo recounts the story of a plane crash they were involved in along with others from the Amway business. In chilling detail, he explains his thoughts and the events that transpired that day. He describes this story and relates it to why it so important to "do something great with your life" but it also serves as a reminder that none of us know what the fates may have in store for us. For me, it also conveys the need for us to savor and appreciate the joys found in even, what we perceive, the seemingly insignificant moments of our lives. I am here to tell you, there are no insignificant moments. Each is measured and each is priceless. This is certainly true of our accumulated personal moments but also in the moments of those we hold dear to us. Our loved ones, close friends, and associates provide texture and context to our existence.

Twelve years ago tomorrow, I learned first-hand this fact. I am sharing this with some reluctance only because it is deeply personal and I have seen how some personal information has been exploited maliciously. I do so now primarily because of the importance of the lessons I learned from my family's pain of this tragedy.

September 2, 1992, I was living in Chicago and was awoken by the phone at 1:30 am. My aunt was calling to tell me I needed to come home to Detroit right away, there had been an accident involving one of my sisters. I was not given any specific information but knew it was something that was very bad. I was in the car within 20 minutes and raced home to my family in Michigan. I will not go into further detail but what I arrived home to find was much worse than I could have ever imagined in my wildest nightmares. My sister and her three sons died in a house fire that morning.

I share this story because, so often, we overlook the quality of fleeting moments we have with the people we care about. It is too easy to get caught up in our day-to-day struggles and neglect the irreplaceable hours we could have spent with our loved ones. Too often we make sacrifices, whether coerced by our business leaders or offered willingly, and lose sight of the reasons why we have chosen to work so diligently. We all have to make a living for ourselves but it should not be at the expense of our life. Seek balance. We know not the hours we have left on this planet.