As I was discussing my idea for this week’s post with my associates, we talked about how challenging it can be to address the frailty of life. It’s so easy to get caught up in the events of the day and the consistently negative news cycles. Maybe that is why an occasional “divine reminder” that life is precious can be important.
Two days ago, I was at a golf course when some ambulances came screaming on to the property. Sadly, a 74 year-old doctor suffered a fatal heart attack while playing pickle ball. For me, it served as a reminder: Since time is precious, we need to focus on and treasure those moments with family, friends, and loved ones who have made a difference in our lives.
If I needed further prompting about this message, I got it in the form of a video from my friend Jerry, who has experienced some serious health challenges over the past year. I know you’re busy, but you really owe it to yourself to watch this video: “Thank You Stage 4 Cancer”.
This video reminded me of a conversation I had in 1995, with an inspiring individual, Clare DeGraaf. Diagnosed with cancer in his thirties, Clare was told by multiple teams of doctors that he had months to live. So, he sold his business and made plans accordingly.
But Clare survived the cancer, and as noted at his website, he has gone on to do amazing things in the thirty plus “bonus” years that God has given him. Clare described how he and his wife, Susan, had used this “bonus” time to, among other things, rescue babies with severe health ailments from orphanages in Albania.
After Clare shared his story, I asked him a question I have since asked to well over 100 cancer survivors: “After getting the cancer diagnosis, how did it affect your relationship with God?” I wanted to know—was he mad, upset, or at peace with the news?
Clare didn’t bat an eyelash. He told me it was the greatest gift God had ever given him. He went on and explained: “I have lived with not one, but two, medical teams telling me I had to button up my affairs because I only had a couple of years to live. After hearing that, I haven’t taken a single day for granted.”
Clare’s response was very similar to what I have heard from other cancer survivors when I have asked them the same question. Apparently, when the finish line is in sight, it gives you a different perspective and helps you appreciate each and every day.
I thought about Clare’s story as I read about Robert Lesslie, the South Carolina physician and author who was killed by a deranged man a couple of weeks ago.
Dr. Lesslie frequently wrote of life’s fragility. In one of his books, Dr. Lesslie wrote: “I know without a doubt that life is fragile…. I have come to understand that humility may be the greatest virtue. And I am convinced we need to take the time to say the things we deeply feel to the people we deeply care about.”
In words that ultimately turned out to be prophetic, he wrote in his online blog: “Life is uncertain. Things happen. Lives are unexpectedly changed or ended. And it happens suddenly. We have no idea what Heaven will look like, only that it will be perfect”.
Where is all this going? Well, this week, I also learned that my dear friend, Dick Hitchcock, lost his wife of sixty years, Connie. As the unofficial (a.k.a. unelected) “Mayor” of Columbus, Ohio, I was struck by some comments that Dick made when I called him last week.
Similar to the message from the famous movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” Dick and Connie were enormously blessed with assets that no amount of money could buy: The love and affection of a wonderful family and more friends than you could imagine.
For me, seeing the video from Jerry as well as the events of the past couple weeks, raises the question: “What truly matters?”
Maybe that is why the words from the twelfth chapter of Luke caution us to “be on guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Perhaps these divine reminders can help all of us treasure each and every day.
