One More…

I read a blog post recently from one of my favorite musicians, Rory Feek of the country music duo Joey+Rory. Rory’s wife Joey is in the final stages of terminal cancer. He shared the story of a songwriter friend of his who has also passed away from this dreaded disease. The friend had written a song titled One More. In essence, the idea of just one more day…one more year…one more chance to be with someone we love. The Feeks are hoping for one more Christmas…maybe even one more birthday to share together with their little daughter in February.

As the holidays arrive and we have the opportunity to see family and friends we may not see for weeks and months on end, I am reminded of the brevity of life and the joys we take for granted. If you’ve lost someone this year, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I know it will be tough, but I hope you concentrate on what you DO have and remember the joys shared with those no longer here.

I’d like to challenge you to do something. Before you arrive at any of your holiday events, plan ahead. Think about things you’d like to know…conversations you’d like to have…games you’d like to play. Think about the most fun you’ve ever had with this group of people, and if it was playing charades – then play charades! I’d be willing to bet the most fun you’ve ever had did NOT consist of everyone sitting in the same room staring at their own little screen. So here’s the challenge – take the lead. Leave your device in the car. Put it on a high shelf where you won’t be tempted to allow yourself to become absorbed. Tell your friends you won’t be available. Put an auto-responder on your email. YOU CAN DO IT! (Daddy, that means you, too.) I’m certainly going to, and honestly, I am looking forward to it.

We aren’t promised tomorrow. There’s no guarantee of One More and I, for one, want to remember times of conversation and laughter and games—not times of faces illuminated by a digital screen absorbed in a different world. Game of spades, anyone?

Until next time ~ Karen