Life Means So Much

My cell phone rang just as the Moms In Touch prayer meeting was ending.

When I saw my husband’s name, I was surprised since he was supposed to be at work.

“I hit a deer,” he told me.

It felt like ice water was suddenly running through my veins. Relief flooded my heart when he told me that although the car had been damaged and the deer was dead, he was okay. His next step was to contact the insurance company and obtain a rental car.

When we disconnected, I left the meeting and headed for the high school track where I had intended to walk. The entire time I drove, I was praising and thanking God that Doug was okay.

It was a fresh reminder how life can change in an instant. 

We can never take it for granted.

I turned on my iPod as I started to walk and Chris Rice’s song “Life Means So Much” began to play. So appropriate.

“Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much…

Every day is a gift you’ve been given
Make the most of the time every minute you’re living

Life means so much…

I looked all around me with new, appreciative eyes. Elementary school kids were running around the track, bursting with energy and excitement. High school kids played flag football on the field. An English class was taking advantage of the glorious spring day by discussing their assigned book on the bleachers instead of inside the four walls of the classroom. An elderly man was also making his way around the track talking quite loudly on an enormous cell phone. A dear friend and I texted back and forth.

On a sun-drenched spring day in New Hampshire, we had all been given the privilege and the gift of being alive.

And it was beautiful.

Cherish today.