Seize the Opportunity  
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   “Show love and appreciation today, to those who to you matter most …there’s   no  guarantee of tomorrow.”                                                                                                         
                                                                                          By Karah  Raphaelita  Newton                                   
                                                                        Dedicated to: Richard and Paulette Thweatt
                                                                                                  February 04, 2018

Recently, I’ve lost people to death. Some, I was close to my entire life; others I knew as a child growing up. Death unleashes powerful lessons and can sometimes leave our hearts haunted with regret. I have learned and am still learning how important it is to show appreciation and kindness to the people who matter most to us, while we can. In our minds and in our hearts, we may harbor the greatest love and appreciation for others, however, remember that people can't read our thoughts. Our love and appreciation must be intentionally expressed in words, as well as in actions.  Once a person has transitioned from this life, they can't hear the anguished sobs of love you utter over their earthly remains. Now is the time to seize the opportunity to express your love and appreciation for others, in words and action — while they’re here with you, on earth. 
 
A couple of weeks ago, a family member of mine (Paulette) had oral surgery. I was a bit nervous even though it was a simple oral surgery.  I started praying for her. Then it crossed my mind that though I had visited her during family functions, and briefly stopped by her home, or business to drop off different items, it had been a good while since I visited just to sit and spend some quality time with her and her husband (Richard). Both are business owners with demanding schedules who appreciate visits from family and friends.
 
Four Sundays ago, I decided to pay Paulette and Richard a visit after I got out of church.  Paulette and I chatted and laughed. She was excited about taking part in an upcoming book drive to promote reading among the children in the local community.  She pulled out her new iPhone and snapped photos of me. Then she clicked on her phone’s photo gallery and proudly showed me pictures of exquisitely designed outfits and wedding dresses she had sewn for some of her customers. (Paulette is an excellent professional seamstress). Photos of Paulette’s one-of-a-kind fashion creations are a visual delight. Some photos also showed local officials attending a party at Diamond Hall (Richard’s catering business) for the Toys for Tots Drive sponsored by The Old National Business Association, an organization of which Paulette is an active member. Others captured images from the 3k race fundraiser for scholarships for students graduating from High School.  Paulette is extremely active in her local community. Richard — a chef by profession, and a top flight one at that — cooked us a delicious Sunday dinner: stewed lamb (so tender, it was falling off the bone), golden brown southern fried chicken, rice, baked sweet potatoes, and collard greens prepared with his secret seasoning spices. The three of us sat down to a meal that was finger licking, mouthing watering to the very last bite.  Our invigorating conversation bounced from topic to topic, starting with the upcoming Super Bowl: who would win: the Philadelphia Eagles or the New England Patriots?  Why did we think one particular team would win over the other?  On and on we chatted, just enjoying each other’s company.
 
I always enjoy spending time with my relatives. We all have extremely busy schedules.  We almost have to fight to find time to break away for our packed schedules. I’m learning that we need to reach out to others from time to time and show love and concern.  It is reckless to assume that the people we know will be around forever. We all have lost loved ones during our life time. As we plan and schedule our precious time, let’s make the deliberate decision to allocate a block of time at regular intervals for spending quality time with our loved ones. Advance in communication technology has made it super easy to keep in touch with family and friends. Facebook and texting are such convenient means of communicating. However, let’s make every attempt, where possible, to use the old fashioned, more intimate means of staying in touch. I can guarantee you that loved ones and friends would all highly prize an in person visit from you, and when that’s not possible, the next best thing is hearing your voice over the phone.
 
 Let’s show genuine appreciation for our friends and loved ones, so that when they’re no longer with us, what will be left behind are tons of beautiful, fun, warm memories of the times we spent with them enjoying their company.
 
Karah Raphaelita Newton grew up in Deerfield Beach and is based out of Atlanta, Georgia. She has written articles nationally as well as internationally on lifestyle topics.  [email protected]