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I was too late!  Every spring, Larry and I enjoy walking the trails at Aman Park near Grand Rapids.  The big spring nature show in the park is hundreds of thousands of trilliums and Virginia blue bells.  This lovely show is worth the time and drive, but this year we were too late.  The trilliums were drooping, and we were disappointed.  We were a week late because we had allowed other responsibilities and time-passers to occupy us.

Oh well!  There is always next year. The trilliums will be there next April. However, it’s important to remember that some things in life may not be here next year – and that’s when waiting isn’t a good idea. I’m reminded of a time when I received a “God Nudge” that required my attention . . . and the regret that follows not listening to that nudge.

Larry, my husband, said, “You better jump in your car and go visit Susan.”

That was probably a God Nudge. I said, “I can’t this week because I am too busy!”

Susan lived in a nursing home two hours away. I had met her seven years earlier when my mother was in the same nursing home. Susan was paralyzed from the waist down. Yet she always had a smile, a positive attitude, and always had several worthwhile projects going. She organized efforts to care for troops in Iraq, arranged simple bouquets and delivered them to individuals in the nursing home, raised money for the CROP walk . . . the list goes on and on.

The last time I talked to Susan was on October 24, and she was spending all but two hours each day in bed. Yet, as usual, she was positive and loving and encouraged me to wear pink the next day because it was Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

I told her that I had honored her in a radio program, “ Choose the Positive,” and she said she would love to see me and hear the program.

When Larry, my husband, heard about our conversation, he said, “You better jump in your car and go see Susan.”

I didn’t. I was too busy. Susan died three weeks after our phone chat. I waited too long.

I regret that I did not follow God’s nudge.

Updated 2024