Never Wait to say I Love You

Throughout my life I've been very fortunate to not be in an accident that caused serious injury much less hospitalization. If fact, the worst one that I was in was a multi-car accident. It's sad, but I know what I would say in my come to God moment. I was surprised as anyone that it didn't include colorful words.

Footage of Accident from local TV

A friend of my son, his father, was in a very serious accident. It gave me a moment to think and what would happen to me and mine. I even took that thought a step further about how I treat my Father in heaven.

We always regret not telling loved ones we love them, or other things after they are gone. Lamenting for years about the lost opportunity. For myself, I never had a great relationship with my father. Looking back on things I believe it was more because we were too much alike than the opposite. There were a ton of missed opportunities. That said, I have no doubt that my father loved and cared for me, even at those times that I wondered.

As a new step-father of 4 and now father of a newborn, I have a much different perspective on things than I did in my previous flawed and childless marriage. For those of you with children the feeling of "anything for my child" is nothing new. In fact, you probably have gotten past that and it's simply your way of being. To me it was like having my world flipped and turned. I don't believe that I truly understood how our God could love us and our faults (much less the individual hairs on our head). How he could possibly love us even when the love wasn't returned. I think I have a much better understanding. I find myself holding my daughter, and simply marveling in her beauty. It's helped me appreciate all my kids much, much more.

In our rush from here and there day to day. We sometimes forget to say the simplest of thank you's to our God. The easiest way that I can can think of to say thank you for x, y and z and to encompass all of the days wonders and gifts? I take a quiet moment, whenever I can and I tell my heavenly Father I love him. That expression of feeling does a much better job of expressing everything than I seem to be able to sometimes. Not to mention, depending on the particular day or client the list can get really large.

Don't put off telling your Father in heaven that you love him and thank him. Here's a prayer that I found on the Catholic.org website:

The Prayer "Thank You God"

For all You have given,
Thank You God.

For all You have withheld,
Thank You God.

For all You have withdrawn,
Thank You God.

For all You have permitted,
Thank You God.

For all You have prevented,
Thank You God.

For all You have forgiven me,
Thank You God.

For all You have prepared for me,
Thank You God.

For the death You have chosen for me,
Thank you God.

For the place you are keeping for me in heaven, 
Thank You God.

For having created me to love You for eternity,
Thank You God.

Have a blessed weekend!