It's funny how you can take something completely for granted and look back and it later thinking, Wow, if only I'd known then that that would be the last time, I would have made it special.
Like at Thanksgiving 2 years ago, our whole family went up to Chicago. If I had known then that that was the last time we would go up there as a whole family, I would have done everything I could to make the memories more special, maybe even spent some more time with my dad. But I didn't know, and a week later my dad moved out.
It's the same deal now, except almost worse, in a way. My friend ran away 2 weeks ago, on a Monday. I had spent the entire weekend with her on a youth retreat with our church. I talked with her, I joked with her, I played Apples to Apples with her sitting right next to me. And all that time I had no idea what was going on in her head. I knew that she was having a few problems with her aunt, who she lived with, but I didn't realize just how bad. And I didn't take the chance to find out.
I saw her and talked with her on Sunday morning, before we all headed for the vans to go back to the church. Monday, she took off. Nobody heard from her for a week and a half.
Then, 3 days ago, we find out that she was found in California. Social services had her and they were going to keep her there. Which means that I will more than likely never see her again.
If I had just talked to her more, given her bigger hugs, been a better friend, would she still be here? Would she have decided not to run away after all because there was someone here who wanted her to stay?
If I had known on that Sunday as I looked through a rack of earings with her that that would probably be the last time I ever saw her, what would I have done differently?
Or would it have made a difference anyway?
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1 comment:
A very intelligent quote that I can't find says, "Live as if you'll die tomorrow. Love as if you'll live forever."
B.
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