For Granted

November 19, 2019

“Don’t ever take it for granted.” We were standing in the doorway of his heavy equipment garage. I had driven five hours to Massachusetts to buy the backhoe he had advertised on Craigslist, had hooked it up to my truck to tow it home, and now we talked. Paul is a few years younger than me, recently retired, having recently sold his medical equipment business. He purchased 150 acres of Massachusetts woodland to carve ATV trails for the kids in the area because there’s no place available for them to ride, and he doesn’t want them growing up with thumbs glued to their phones.

When I told him of our kids living nearby and grandkids who can walk to our house, he said, “I am envious. My kids are in California and except for the occasional visit, I only get to see my twin grandchildren by Facetime.” I assured him that I give thanks every day for having family close by, and that we are healthy enough to enjoy them. He looked me up and down before telling me I looked in pretty good shape for 70. 

“When I started preaching fifty years ago, I buried old people. Now I’m burying friends, and I don’t like it,” I said. “The longer I live, the more I realize how precious this life is; I treasure it and guard it carefully.” We parted, and on the way home, I marveled at the magnitude of the blessings I’ve received. Sometimes it feels like my life has been enchanted. It is filled with people who have blessed me far more than I can have blessed them. 

I had plenty of time on the drive home to pray, so pray I did; mostly prayers of gratitude for the life I’ve been privileged to live. And no, Paul; I don’t take it for granted. It is a life not granted to many.