Cherish What Is (07/02/2025)

I was sitting in the hotel lobby, my calendar in front of me along with pad. I was writing furiously as I sipped my cup of coffee. So much to plan for, so much to get done. And she just appeared. She asked if she could join me for a few moments. I said, “Sure,” as I cleared room for her at the table for two.

“Are you here for long?” she asked. “No, just a few days. I am visiting my mother who is in the hospital right now.” She asked me about me, where I was from, what I did, about my family. She was only there for maybe five minutes. She stood up from her place, took her cup in her hand, and said, “Well, I better get going. Miles to go before I sleep,” she told me. Then she reached down and tapped my calendar page, “Don’t forget to cherish what is.”

And she walked out of my life as quietly and quickly as she’d walked in. But her final words didn’t go away, they kept echoing in my head, growing louder and louder. And I realized I was being challenged to be present, in the moment, to those around me.

That day, I did “cherish what is” in the people I encountered, in our conversations, in the moments of silence given to me to catch my breath and let life’s lessons settle in a bit. “Cherish what is” was just what I needed that day and I asked the LORD’s help in taking it forward with me into my future. That day, as I thought about it, I realized it’s what I do today rather than what I plan to do tomorrow that really matters.

Oh, planning is important. I still do it. But that short coffee break with a stranger “reset” my approach. I’m still working on being present to the moment, present to what’s going on around me, present to those around me, those with me. Our LORD, “I AM” made us in His image and likeness. It makes sense, the more I think about it, that I am is me present and present is who I am called to be.

Cherish what is today.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.