People experiencing a tragic event in their family often get advice from friends and others, suggesting that things will get better, just take one day at a time. I was watching ‘CSI Miami’ the other night, and Horatio Caine (the star) said to a woman after experiencing a tragic event, “One day at a time goes both ways.” I am not sure what that means, but I have thought about it often since then. Possibly, it means that we can take one day at a time forward with positive things such as family, children and bring back positive memories of the way things were before the tragedy. There are all kinds of tragedies one of which is where a person becomes so involved in work and making a living that his world of family flies by without him. Then he wakes up one day and his children are grown up and gone and he realizes that he missed it all. We can’t go back! It’s all too easy to let things slip, to ignore the wonderful moments of precious interaction that will never again be repeated. This happens when we allow ourselves to get so caught up in what we’re doing that we are oblivious to what’s going on around us. We miss the smiles of our children as they make an important discovery or the chortle of joy from our babies when they see us and radiate love and contentment.
Than there are tragedies such as I heard on the news the other night of a teenaged girl who barely received her driver’s license. While driving on her way to school, she decided to text a friend, and being so distracted, she accidently ran over and killed a five-year-old crossing the street on her way to kindergarten. Both families involved in that tragedy will suffer for years with the thoughts of that one moment when a texting young lady became distracted. A person’s heart almost explodes with grief for both the young lady and the little child, without even knowing either family.
Many people lose loved ones, not by a tragic end but because of one falling out of love or being unfaithful. I read a sad note where such a tragedy happened to one and they wrote; “The moment that you left me, my heart split in two, one side was filled with memories, the other side with you. I often lay awake at night while the world is fast asleep, and take a walk down memory lane with tears upon my cheek. Remembering you is easy, I do it every day, but missing you is a heartache that never goes away. I hold you tightly within my heart and there you will remain, you see life has gone on without you, but will never be the same.”
When our oldest son passed away 13 years ago, the family had a hard time because we all knew that he had struggled much of his life with heartache and loneliness. His wife was unfaithful and rejected him, and therefore, he was not able to see his three children grow up on a daily basis. Life was a struggle for him, but he loved his family, and not a day went by that he didn’t call his mother to tell her he loved her. ‘One day at a time,’ both ways. Our children, regardless of age, are precious to us, and we have to take advantage of those opportunities to be with, to exchange thoughts and experiences with. They may no longer be soft and cuddly as babies, but nevertheless, they are precious.