Don't Take IT For Granted

For the past few days, we have been staying in Goodyear, AZ (outside of Phoenix) with my long-time friends, Lynn and Kathy.  We met in 1973 in River Falls at the factory, Smeads.  I got a job to finish paying for college and my partying habits, working 3-11 pm M-F.  Many nights some of we workers would head down the street to Emma's, our favorite bar.  

Over the years, I have lived in several places and they did too as Lynn re-joined the Army and made a career of it.  We all turned out pretty good in spite of our college "habits."  

Sometimes our communication has been Christmas letters and birthday cards (from her) and some infrequent visits, and we are finally all retired and we took up Kathy on her frequent invitation, "Come and visit us." 

Sometimes, folks will say, "Rayna, you have friends all over the country."  Well, I do.  But, many more that I have lost track of....see, I am not the best communicator.  I seldom write (unless it's Christmas letters) and more seldom, do I call.  I take my friends for granted.  Yes, "friends" are one of the IT's in my blog title.   It's so sad to take friends and family for granted.  We often get comfortable in the fact that we will be able to connect with them after long periods of time "as if we had just seen each other last week."  

What if that opportunity is taken away suddenly? Will we regret not having sent them a note or called, even texted them once in a while?  I think we would.  Why do we choose to live with possible regrets?  Because we assume that these folks will be there for us when we get the chance to call or visit.  But, they are not always going to be there.

My mother lost her last surviving sister this weekend.  Now my Mom is the sole survivor of that family.  The two sisters had coffee and coffee cake in her sister's yard on Friday.  What a wonderful memory that this death leaves with my mother.  She didn't ignore her sister or take for granted that she would live forever.  She was there for her.  I wonder if I could have the same peace of mind of being there for my siblings as my Mom feels?  I think not.  Yes, I take for granted my siblings will be there the next time I decide to call or visit.  I hope so.

Another less serious IT that we often take for granted is our home and it's utilities, namely air conditioning.  Air conditioning in Arizona is needed at this time of the year and our host's A/C decided to die on Saturday night.  Thank goodness for super-duper fans and we survived just fine.  We'll have some memories to laugh about in the coming years.

Since it's Labor Day, we can reflect on our jobs, careers, and vocations that we have or had.  A job is not a guarantee, regretfully.  If you have one, be thankful.  Don't take it for granted.

Yes, I could go on and on about IT's that we should not take for granted.  I'm sure my readers have their own lists.  Let us vow to thank God for IT's in our lives and pray for guidance in NOT taking them for granted.