Counting the hours
Promising forever
Knowing that this moment
Might be all we ever find
-Tim McGraw, “All We Ever Find”
Today, however, my sister informed me that as of two o’clock this afternoon, I will be getting married in 552 hours. I didn’t believe her. So I got out the calculator and figured it out myself. 23 days x 24 hours = 552 hours. Wow.
But somehow, the hours seem more precious these days. My grandmother is still recovering from a car accident that happened before Easter. I’m hoping she will still be able to light the candles at our wedding. My other grandpa just had knee replacement surgery last night–but all seems to have gone well.
While ever since Thanksgiving, we were praying that a friend’s little one would make it close to full term. She came to church for the first time last Sunday–pink and healthy and oh-so-tiny.
Life and death, birth and marriage. Each is so closely interwined with the other. Each reminds us of the importance of the other; the frailty of life, the necessity of marriage, the joy of birth, the surety of death.
So yes, I’m counting the hours now. But I will be counting the hours of my marriage even more carefully than the ones before.
I don’t want to ever neglect kissing my husband goodbye in the morning. Because one day, he might not come home at night to claim a welcome kiss. What if I didn’t know if he would ever be able to hear those three little words from my lips again? I want to love my husband with all my might every day of our marriage, not just on the days I feel like it. I want to give him every hour of my time, because we never know which will be our last hour together.
I hope and pray that God gives Merritt and me seventy or even eighty years together. But seventy years is only 613,200 hours. In numbers, that seems so few. Especially the way time flies when we are together. So I want to make every second count. I hope we make it to our eightieth anniversary (we’d only be 102!), but only God knows the number of our days. So I am going to count every single hour He gives me with my man as very, very precious.
Will she know how much I loved her?
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she’s my only one?
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes?
-Garth Brooks, “If Tomorrow Never Comes”
Praise the Lord for this beautiful post. Thank you, Gretchen.
Another post that was beautiful to the point of tears! Gretchen, you certainly have a way with words. Thanks so much for the reminder.
Tabitha
Dear Gretchen,
I can relate to the waiting and counting game!! Cory and I have been counting for a looong time now; however, we have broken the 3 digit barrier and are at 93 days!!
I meant to post this comment when you filled us in on all the wonderful details of your wedding day (I wish I was right in front of you so that I could ask all my questions and share my wedding details!!! I loved your invitation, by the way!) but I was wondering what kind of music you are using for the processional and the recessional, and if you (or anybody else reading) have any good books/websites regarding wedding music to which you could direct me.
Thanks so much Gretchen (et al.)
. . .just overflowing this evening,
Vanessa
(PS – Gretchen, I received your comment on my blog and would absolutely love to write and share some of what inspires me with YLCF! However, as you can tell from the lack of my comments on ylcf and entries on my own blog, I am very very busy at the moment and have not made blogging/writing a priority. When I get back to it, you’ll be sure to hear from me).
I love that verse by Garth Brooks…it really challenges us to make every moment count with those we love…thanks so much!
Beautiful and thought-provoking! 馃檪
Wonderful post, Gretchen!
We should enjoy every moment of everyday, and make every second count!
I was wondering if you were counting down the hours yet!:)
~Allison
Sometimes I sense all of life, all at once. It is both so short and so long. We here are so young, but once we were younger. Before we know it, we will be the old persons walking down the street with most of our lives behind us, most of our duties completed. It is a somewhat mournful feeling, but not really sad… more like ‘heavy.’
Your post made me feel that way again. 馃檪 Just like Ecclesiastes.
Thanks Gretchen – that was a powerful post. I can’t believe it’s May already…time sure does fly.