A week ago my best friend Rob Lloyd died.
Rob had been fighting cancer for over five and a half years, before all of a sudden, the clock seemed to speed up, and in two quick weeks he was gone.
We celebrated his life on Thursday. A powerful service with hundreds of people coming together to celebrate a life well lived and mourn a death that had come way too soon. A few members of his family shared some moving words on different aspects of his life that had particular significance to them.
As one of his best friends, i didn’t get a chance at the funeral to speak, but it was totally alright with me, as I had had the chance to say them to his face just two weeks before.
WE SAW THIS ONE COMING
My friend Rob’s death was a terrible tragedy. But one aspect of it that was helpful for so many people, was that we had warning. So during one awkward visit while Rob was still in the hospital, we got to have such a deep and profound moment of saying some stuff to each other that we didn’t want to leave unsaid or too late. While still trying to hold desperately on to the hope of a possible miracle that we needed at that stage.
With many people we are not that fortunate. Someone dies in a car accident or a natural disaster and we realise too late that there were things we wanted to say, there were things that person really should have known. About what we thought of them and what they meant to us and how much they had helped shape our lives.
I got to do that with Rob and I am so grateful.
WHO NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU?
The question for you as you read this, is who is the person you have not told yet? Is there a close friend or family member who if they were suddenly taken away you would be seriously devastated that you never got to say the words?
Make a plan to say the words now. Write them a note, send them a text, invite them out for coffee or a meal. Gather some mates together and have an evening of sharing the things you want to say to each other before it’s too late.
For those of us who follow Jesus, it is never too late. We don’t see death as the end, but as a pathway to a new beginning. If you would like to hear some more about that, simply click the banner below.