By Janean
The last time I saw Hannah before her devastating bite of brownie; she was walking out of our garage to her car. We had just spent a wonderful weekend celebrating her birthday with one of her friends and serving at her favorite place to volunteer. With her backpack full of study materials and nicely folded clean clothes, she was ready to go back to college for another exciting week. I walked out with her to say goodbye and to watch her drive off. I have tried to be the type of person that leaves a conversation with people on a good note. Especially when it comes to my family. Before we say goodbye, I want them to know that I love them!
Some people have different ways of closing out a conversation. One couple I knew would never get out of their car without giving each other a kiss. Boy, would that be hard if they were just having an argument and now it was time to get out of the car. They couldn’t get out until they gave each other a kiss. That would definitely cause them to settle their disagreement on the spot. I have also heard of another couple who would hold each other’s hand as they drifted off to sleep at night. No matter what was said or done that day, they would crawl into bed. The wife would stretch out her hand and search for her husband’s hand, and that’s how they would fall asleep, hand in hand. There’s a saying that seems pretty popular, “always kiss me good night.” If everyone decided and vowed to always close their conversations in one of these ways, we may see less divorces, estranged families would be reduced, and there would probably be fewer fighting’s among people.
Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil.” Sometimes the smallest thing can cause a rift between people. It might have been just a simple misunderstanding, or something was not heard correctly. There are also those days where everything is just “off.” Maybe you just don’t feel well. If we take this to heart and make sure all our interactions with people end on a positive note, then our enemy, the devil, wouldn’t have a way into our hearts to destroy our relationships and lives.
For me, I never knew when my last time would be to see my loved one. So, I tried to close any phone conversation or visit with the words, “I love you.” One time, Hannah asked me about my reason for always saying those three words. (I would say them before I got off the phone, when I was heading out to run errands, even before we went to bed.) I told her that I never knew if that would be the last time I would see the person. I wanted to make sure that if something were to happen, they would be left with those words coming from my mouth. “I love you”.
On that night of her birthday, November 3rd, 2024, as I walked Hannah to her car, a voice in my head told me to give her a great big hug, tell her that I love her, and that I am proud of her. As we reached her car, Hannah turned to me to say goodbye, I grabbed her and pulled her close to me. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tightly and then I whispered in her ear, “I love you and I am so proud of you.” Uncharacteristic of her, she wrapped her arms around me too and said, “I love you, too”. We stood there for a moment embracing one another. Then she got into her car and drove off.
That is my memory, my final thought of my beloved daughter, Hannah. Every time I think of that night, I praise my Heavenly Father for that moment. That final moment that only He knew at the time, would mean so much to me now.
Dear friend, take extra care of those final moments. You never know when that parting will be your last. What do you want your loved one to remember as your final moment together? There is no other word that leaves such an imprint on a person’s life than the word “love”. True, genuine love is the core in relationships. It should be spoken and acted upon to keep relationships strong. You will never regret saying, “I love you” as your final words.
We are blessed.
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