Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Gone In A Flash


This story arrived in my email this morning and it moved me to tears I knew I just had to share this with all of you amazing bloggers. Enjoy!

GONE IN A FLASH
Michael Smith

The sun dropped below the horizon. The sky turned dark. The first stars of the night began to shine.

It was the peak night for the Perseids meteor shower. We gathered our grandchildren in the backyard. Some sat in chairs and others stretched out on blankets. No street lights were nearby to hinder our view.

"There's one!" Seth, the oldest yelled.

"I missed it!" I whined.

"There's another one!" Josh yelled.

"I saw it!" Ginny and I said together as a streak of dust burned across the sky and faded into nothing. The youngest, Benny, sat in a chair beside me.

"Are you watching, Ben?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Did you see that last one?"

"No!" He sighed. "I missed it."

"Then you weren't watching, were you?"

We cheered and pointed each time a meteor lit the night sky.

"Poppa Mike?" Benny asked.

"Yes, Ben?"

"Clara is the loneliest train, you know?"

I had no idea what Benny was talking about or where the thought came from, so I just played along. "Is that so?" I asked.

"Uh huh?"

"Why is she lonely?"

"She has a boyfriend you know." He paused.

"But she's still lonely?"

"Yeah."

Another meteor made a white slash in the night sky. "Wow! Did you see it, Ben?"

"No, I missed it again."

A few weeks later, a lightning storm slowly crawled across the western sky. We watched the bolts of lightning streak diagonally from north-to-south. It was a spectacular display of nature, one we safely watched from a distance.

"Wow! Did you see that one boys?" I asked my grandsons.

"No! We missed it again."

"Guys, you have to focus, these things happen fast. If you don't focus, you'll miss them."

Later that night, after the boys went to bed, I sat out on the deck while Ginny, her daughter, Heather, and her son-in-law, Nathan, watched a show on TV. They laughed each time I screamed, "WOW! That was a good one."

Alone with my thoughts and the lightning, I remembered the meteor shower. The lightning was the same. The flashes of light were gone in the blink of an eye. I asked myself, "Mike, how many of life's meteors and lightning bolts have you missed because you weren't paying attention?"

I had no answer to the question, for if I knew, then I wouldn't have missed them. How many times have I come home from work too wrapped in my own thoughts and missed those "daddy's home" smiles of my children? Those little smiles are lost forever, as I walked right by them.

How many opportunities did I miss to praise my wife or my children? How many chances to say, "I love you" to my wife did I miss?

I made a pledge that night to pay more attention to those around me. When I arrive home from work, work stays at work and my attention is on my family, because those opportunities -- those
streaks of light -- don't last long.

They're gone in a flash.

28 comments:

Billy Coffey said...

...speechless...

Wow, that one hit me hard.

Loren said...

Beautiful......

please email this one to me k?

thanks for posting.....and for the tears!

Deborah Ann said...

Aw, Kat. This lightning bolt really hit me in the heart! Is this THE Michael Smith? I'm a HUGE fan...

Hey girl, get back over to my blog. I posted Aaron's pic, and if you go to my facebook you can watch the video.

Your husband is a sweetheart, by the way. I never heard of a man giving his wife an award like this. You are blessed!

Luv,
Debby

Samantha said...

How beautiful.

RCUBEs said...

That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing sister Kat and making us more aware of how precious every minute is...so precious that we must not waste it to show LOVE...starting with our own families. Blessings.

Mich said...

Beautiful post...awesome reminder.

thanks!

Unknown said...

I agree with Billy up there..

Thank you, Kat!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

That certainly hit home. Thank you for sharing. I must pay better attention.

Roxanne said...

What an awesome post and so true.

Roxanne

E @ Scottsville said...

Amen and amen!

I have really been learning to let the little things around the house just GO and spend my time doing the things the kids and I want to do! Laundry may sit in a pile too long. The floors may have more spots than I care to admit. But we're making memories and they'll look back and remember those--- not the dust on the furniture.

Kelly said...

I love that. Really good.

Darcie said...

Very touching and thought provoking! So many lightening moments...I need to focus more.

Thanks for sharing.

A Lady Called Amy said...

How beautiful! Thank you for sharing. :-)

LV said...

A very sad thing, but so true. Thanks for reminding us.

Amy said...

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Amy

Grandma Elsie said...

How great that he realized the important things in life soon enough to be able to do what will not leave him with regrets . Life passes sooner than one might think and time is gone .
Time with family is one of the most important things in a persons life.
This is a wonderful thought provoking post.

Mari said...

What a beautiful post! I was thinking - is this Michael W Smith? But I don't think he has grandkids yet. Regardless - there is lots of wisdom in those words. Thanks for sharing it.

LisaShaw said...

WOW!!!!! Powerfully written.

God a Have Faith said...

I too am guilty of this and I am trying hard to see those times and things that our kids do that we miss.

Awesome post Hun Hun!

Love ya!

COUNTRY MOM said...

Kat, Thank You for sharing. I really enjoyed reading that.
Life is so precious.
God Bless,

Collette@Jesuslovesmums said...

This is a great reminder Kat! Thanks for sharing it with us all!
Love Collette xxxx

Edie said...

Hi Kat!

Good thoughts. When I saw the picture it reminded me of some lightning we had last night and I was wishing my camera could capture it. It looked a lot like your picture.

Just Be Real said...

Very beautiful Kat!

Greg C said...

Awesome post today. We only have one chance to live our life and we miss so many things by not paying attention.

Joyce said...

Thanks for the reminder...a beautiful story.

Denise said...

Beyond lovely.

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

Just beautiful, Kat!

Candee Fick said...

So true. Thanks for the reminder to be alert and catch the beautiful moments that are gone in a flash.