If Only I Knew

If only I Knew by Lance Wubbels is a book that tries to help us to appreciate the special people who are in our lives. It is about thinking about every moment we spend with others as sacred and as a gift. The book challenged me to think about the reality that we live in an uncertain world, a world where we may not have another chance to say a kind word or do a kind act for someone we love.

Wubbles writes in his introduction that as he was writing this book the fourteen year-old son of a friend of his left home on his yellow bicycle and was hit in a street crosswalk by a car. He writes, "The driver, a sixteen-year-old young man, was distracted and somehow never even saw Spencer until he hit the windshield. In that tragic moment a boy's life vanished like a mist, leaving behind a grieving mother who obviously loved him with all her heart."

The book, which is beautifully illustrated, is filled with many reminders and challenges to appreciate every moment we have with those we love. For example, he writes, "If only I knew ... this was our final kiss, I would use it to tell you that you are the love of my life."

And in another page he writes, "If only I knew ... I would never hear your voice again, I would cherish your every word ... every inflection of your voice ... with all my heart."

When I look at my boys, my family and my friends I am trying to keep these words "if only I knew ..." close to my heart so that I can treasure the time I have with these special people and make the most of it. I am so grateful to God that my little boys are alive and well and that I can provide a safe, loving and humble home for them.

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." - James 4:14 (NIV)