Love Them While You Can

Nine years ago today, my mom went to heaven.  With her husband and five children surrounding her and singing her favorite hymns, Mom "breathed her last."  It was on a Thursday, at 5:24 p.m.  (More than once in the days and weeks that followed, I had to excuse myself from the dinner table, so conscious was I of when the clock turned 5:24 and reliving that moment in my mind.)

I'll always be thankful to the Lord for those nine precious days I had with Mom prior to her homegoing, especially sitting at her bedside and holding her hand all through that final night.  God gave me those hours to reiterate to Mom how much I loved her and to thank her for being such a faithful and loving mother to me.

Mom's last audible words were: "I have so many good memories ... good memories.  I love you."  (For my birthday that year, Ruthie gave me a beautiful, marble-based picture holder with those words engraved on it, with pictures of Mom and me, along with the rest of the family.)

It's been nine years since I've been able to look Mom in the eye, hear her voice, squeeze her hand, spend precious moments with her.  God graciously granted me 31 years to enjoy Mom. Whatever opportunities I had to cultivate our earthly relationship are now gone.  All I have now are the memories and the anticipation of heaven.

Years ago, while I was in college, I heard a song at church one Sunday morning that made quite an impression on me and has stuck with me ever since.  So many songs are written about how precious children are, but this song is about how precious parents are, and how we must "love them while we can."  You can listen to it by clicking here and then clicking on the orange demo line you see in the link.  Here are the lyrics:

They tied our shoes, took us to school, patched our worn-out jeans

They soothed our tears and calmed our fears, and listened to our dreams

Somewhere along their golden years, their hair has lost its sheen

The notes to hymn one hundred ten crackle when they sing

And now they are alone, no children's voices fill their empty homes

 

Chorus

We must love them while we can, we must love them while we can

For time just seems to hurry by, and the days slip into years

And the moments that we have will disappear

So love them while we can

 

Verse 2

The folks that taught us our first words, still have much to say

The silver secrets of the world, lie beneath those crowns of gray

As they approach the end, we change our role from children to best friend

Bridge

We always thought they'd be around

Until the end of time

Until day we wake and find ...

Chorus

We must love them while we can, we must love them while we can

For time just seems to hurry by, and the days slip into years

And the moments that we have will disappear

So love them while we can

I realize that not everyone has been blessed with Christian parents like mine.  Nevertheless, God's Word instructs us as children to honor our parents ... to love our neighbors as ourselves ... and even to love our enemies.  You'll never regret showing the love of Christ to  your mom and dad.  If your parents are still living, don't wait till Mother's Day or Father's Day to express your gratitude or to demonstrate your love for them.  Make the most of today.  Love them while you can.