Winnie the Pooh’s friends, Eeyore and Rabbit, were deep in conversation. 

“Nobody keeps me Informed”, said Eeyore. “I make it seventeen days come Friday since anybody spoke to me.”

“It certainly isn’t seventeen days—“

“Come Friday,” explained Eeyore.

And today’s Saturday,” said Rabbit. “So that would make it eleven days. And I was here myself a week ago.”

“Not conversing,” said Eeyore. “Not first one and then the other. You said
 ‘Hallo’ and Flashed Past. I had thought of saying ‘What?’—-but of course, it was then too late.”

“Well, I was in a
 hurry.”

“No Give and Take,” Eeyore went on. “No Exchange of Thought. ‘Hallo’—‘What’—–I mean, it gets you nowhere, particularly if the other person’s tail is only just in sight for the second half of the conversation.”

I wonder if you, like me, live like Rabbit, Flashing through Life, trying to get all the details of life neatly tucked in and the ever-expanding To Do List all crossed off, simultaneously yearning, like Eeyore, for unhurried time with the people you care for? With watches by our sides, and our full attention engaged, we long for connection that goes  beyond what is superficial to whatever is deep and real.

Well, better late than never, the obvious is dawning on me. Simply, it is this: we have our chance right now. We should take it. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. Psalm 90:10 says, “Let me know how short my life is, that I may become wise.

Today I sat at Jack’s marker in the cemetery. What would I say to him tonight if I could? With the distractions turned off, how would I purposefully communicate Exchange of Thought with the one I love? 



My time with him on earth is done. When God said, “Time’s up! Pencils down!”, I had no more chances to tell him that I loved him, no more minutes in which to support him, or hours in which to show an interest in what interested him. The time was up. All the way UP.

BUT.

There are still people near me– my mom and dad, my sons and daughter-in-law, my brothers and their families, plus so many very delicious friends– and in each of these cases, God has still granted me TIME. Precious TIME.

So I choose tonight not to Flash Past the ones I love, but slow to a halt, look them in the eye and say, “Hi! I love you! I’m so glad you are in my life!”

So here it is, friends and family: “HI! I LOVE YOU! I’M SO GLAD YOU ARE IN MY LIFE!”