Watashi No Musko,

"Anato no ichiban saiko musko"--My most handsome son--I am learning...no I am attempting to learn Japanese. Sianara, my son...I sign off my letter.

How can my children send me emails that-- even though they are 'emails'-- I can tell they are snickering and reprimanding me at the same time? "MOM," the reply comes, "Yes, sianara does mean 'good bye', but it is the kind of 'good bye' as in 'I'm dying, my dear, so--good bye...."

I'm trying, and if it does nothing else, it will give my son and his new (Japanese) wife a good laugh, and I can handle that.

Words. Hello, good bye. How are you doing? How have you been? Words, sometimes we use words and mean nothing.

"When first I come to the United States, I go to a party. At the party I meet some people. They say to me--stop by and see me some time--I think everyone so nice and friendly. I stop by to see these people--they are surprised. I no understand...they say to me 'stop by and see me'...."

"How's Jimmy doing?" I ask about my son's father-in-law.

"The doctors give him anywhere from two to maybe five years," he says.

Words. Some mean something...some mean nothing...and some mean everything. Ever wonder if the doctors said to you, 'Go home and put your house in order, you're going to die', how would you feel, what would you do? What would suddenly become THE MOST IMPORTANT THING in your life.

On 9-11 some people were given a brief opportunity to say good bye. Most said only, 'I love you --good bye'. There is something about the inevitable that changes things.

All of the past hurts and problems, would any matter? I think I would like to say, 'When you think of me, remember I loved you...not perfectly, because neither of us is perfect. Forget the bad times and remember the good, not because I'm perfect, but because those are the times that are important. And I loved you.

"We don't cry for the person that's died," my mother used to say, "we cry for ourselves."
Of course we cry for many different reasons, but yes, mostly we cry for ourselves.

"No matter what your relationship with your parents, you will miss them when they are gone."

Not always, but it is often the case.

"I don't know how many times over the last few months since my dad died, that something will happen, and I'll reach for the phone. I think I've just got to call Dad and tell him about...or ask his advice about...or laugh with him about..., but I can't," the speaker says sadly.

I think more about my mother since her death twenty-six years ago than I did the first twenty-nine years. I think of the things I should have done, that just might have made a differnce. Many of those things would have come with age, but we weren't given...time.

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

"Time and tide wait for no man." That means that the sun will rise tomorrow, and the day after, and so forth, until the Lord comes. We don't know when our time--on earth--will end. Today we need to be right with God. Today we need to be right with each other. How sad to come to the end and say, 'if only', or 'what might have been'.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Today. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!