If Tomorrow Never Comes

November 11, 2013

I woke up thinking about family members and friends who have served our country and said a prayer of gratitude. I don't know about you, but I am so grateful for our armed services and all they do to protect us from harm. It's always an honor to walk up to a man or woman in uniform, shake their hand, and say, "Thank You."  Yesterday, I saw a man in cammo wear and thanked him.  His response? "Ma'am, I'm just a hunter." Oops!

Sgt Ernest T Pederson
US Army

As I have mentioned before, I have the letters my father wrote to my mother during WWII. I love reading them because through them they become real people to me. Two people caught in a war and hoping and praying that they would be able to built a life together. For so many, tomorrow never came ... lives were lost ~ permanently, emotionally, physically, and, yes, even spiritually. The throes of war have a way of raping and maiming the human soul.

I like hearing about my father and mother before the war. They were both such lively, happy people. They danced, they sang, and they fell in love. Then, the day came when my father left for the war and he was changed forever. There were times when I would watch him as he stared off into space ~ or, times when he would sit on a chair next to the kitchen counter and smoke one cigarette after another, snuffing them out in his pants cuff. The coffee pot was always going and I remember asking, "Dad, why don't you ever wash the coffee pot?" His reply, "The coffee pot is just getting broken in ~ with each new pot, the coffee tastes better." I never understood that. Funny the things the mind stores...

There was a day when my father was so excited.  He found a house near the lake that he wanted to purchase. The house was surrounded by trees and had a garage he could work in. It was one of the few times I ever heard him joyful and filled with what I think of as kid-like glee. My mother squelched his plans saying that she preferred to live in town close to work. He never mentioned the house by the lake ever again. My father passed away when he was 55 years old. His tomorrows were cut short and I wonder if he regretted not going ahead with his dreams. He was the visionary; my mother was the saver, the cautious one. My father looked forward to retiring and had so many plans. In the blink of an eye, his life was snuffed out. His dreams of retirement never came.

If tomorrow never comes, will I have done more than just take up space on the planet? I think about that a lot. Each time I write a blog, I pray that it will encourage and touch hearts. Each time I say a prayer, I know that the Lord hears. Each time I plant a tree or a bush or a flower, I beautify my environment. If I am led, then I must act. I follow my gut instincts and the passions of my heart and hope that you do too for today is the time to be filled with the energy of life.

One thing is for sure ... if tomorrow never comes, you know you are loved and prayed for TODAY!!

Miss Dottie

PS  Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. ~Corrie Ten Boom