"Cherish the Gift"

[Mark McIntosh]

I was among the thousands of mournful family, friends, business associates and fans of Kacey Fine Furniture owner Leslie Fishbien gathered on a blustery and cool March afternoon to say goodbye.


As Rabbi Steven Foster concluded his eloquent remarks about a business owner, civic leader, wife, sibling, daughter, friend and mentor – fantastic at all of the above - who died tragically at the tender age of 55, he said something that no doubt reverberated bones within everyone in attendance.


“We have no guarantees of tomorrow,” Foster told the mourners in trying to help others find meaning from life’s unexplainable twists and turns. “Whether young or old, embrace life with passion and don’t put off until tomorrow what could – or should – be done today.”


His words took me back to a few years ago, after presenting “Run to Daylight” to a men’s group, while walking through the parking lot, a man approached me and said, “Mark, I’d like to share with you what’s been my life’s mission statement for the past ten years or so.”


What this handsome man bedecked in an Arizona State baseball cap told me, perhaps you’ve heard before, but it was new to me: Abe Vasquez told me, “Yesterday is history; tomorrow’s but a mystery, today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.”


Vasquez’s words and Fishbien’s death are powerful reminders that life – in an unexpected instant – can be taken from us. This week, remember, the time to act is RIGHT NOW!


There is no guarantee of tomorrow. Embrace today, the present. It truly is a gift to be used in loving, healthy and productive ways.