When they called him back for surgery, their lips met like two butterflies. Hours later, the doctor sat to talk with the elderly woman. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but the words from the doctor fell like bricks.
This caused me to look at the man sitting beside me. We had also been married for many years, but to be honest I often acted as if we had all the time in the world. We were in a season of busyness and our relationship, while important, sometimes came in last. As I watched this elderly woman wipe away tears, I wondered. One day, when our hair is white with age and our lips meet like butterflies, would I wish I had done it anything differently?
That day I began to look for ways to appreciate him – right then, in the now. One day I broke down the recyclables and took them to the curb. On another day I left a note on the bathroom mirror that said, “I love you.” On another day I let go of an unhealthy response I was tempted to hold onto.
Psalm 139:16 reminds us that every one of our days are formed for us. What we do with those days, and the people we love, is up to us.
