Elderly Woman walking towards the ocean
“It’s a funny feeling when you find that there are more yesterdays than there will be tomorrows” – Chris Gardner
Our earthly lives are like that, divided between the days we have lived and the days we have left to live. We count the years since our birth and celebrate them every year. It is a celebration because we have survived, flourished and thrived, we celebrate because God has granted us the gift of life on this earth for one more year. No one knows the hour or day of our demise, we have only to live our lives as if it may be the last.
Chris Gardner is the man who lived and wrote the book The Pursuit of Happiness, the movie Pursuit of Happiness that starred Will Smith was based on his book and life. I recently had the distinct pleasure of listening to him give an awe inspiring talk. He said “I am not yet comfortable with this next thought but I will share it with you today. It’s a funny feeling when you find that there are more yesterdays than there will be tomorrows.” The words replayed in my mind as I walked the beach that afternoon. Then I saw her, the woman in the picture above all alone. She stood shakily in the sand with some type of food in her hands and threw it into the air. The birds all flew straight to her and landed all about her, then they followed her hoping for more of the same. She just walked very determined to the water with the birds following her. It was as if she was still continuing to give what she had, her contribution to the world before she leaves it. Then without a fuss or a show she walked on in pursuit of her destination somewhere beyond the birds of this world to the ocean, to a place in her mind’s eye I was not prevy to. In the picture you see her standing there in thought. As I watched her simple act of kindness I contemplated have I gathered more yesterdays, no I still have more tomorrows but someday I will be there and hopefully in those days and those hours I will still give as she gave selflessly and I will walk tall and proud with a purpose for me alone to discover and share with the world.
So where are you? Do you have more tomorrows or more yesterdays? What will you do with that knowledge today?
