The Last Time

I know I am dating myself here. For some folks reading this post you may be way too young to remember some of these examples but I think you will still get the point. Old timers – you ready?

For us “older” folks who have seen the blur of “Progress” and “Technology”, think about this. When was the final time you dropped a coin into a payphone and placed a call? When was the last time you dropped a needle on a vinyl LP and listened to an album? Do you remember the final time you had to pop that plastic case open and check that the VHS movie was re-wound before taking it back to Blockbuster? What about the last time you ever had to get up from your chair and walk over to the TV to change the channel dial? Can you recall the very last time you had to grab a pencil, turn the wheels on the cassette tape and pray that it would rewind with out twisting or breaking?

Obviuously I could go on and on. As quickly as something “new” comes out, it’s just as quickly obselete and replaced. Those things we take for granted in our daily routines quickly fade to memories of “oh yeah, I remember that!” Floppy disks, cordless phones, VCRs, even CDs are ancient history. I’ve done all the things I’ve listed above but as I was trying to explain some of these things to my son the other day, it hit me. I did all of them as part of life at one point and then, without much fanfare, one day I did it for last time – ever. Maybe if I would have known that last drop off trip to Blockbuster would be the final time I could have savored it a little. Maybe appreciated that last time I slid a needle onto vinyl and listened to a song infused with the hiss and pops a little more if I would have known it would go away.

My point here is not to wax nostalgic, something I do a lot these days. The point is that we’ve all moved quietly onto the “next thing” often without thinking about the last or final time something mundane or routine would occur. Life experiences are the same way. A job you’ve been at forever ends or you leave for a new one. That commute, breakroom or desk that’s been a part of your routine – there’s a final time that you are there and it’s a part of you.

Unfortunately death is the cruelest robber. It robs us of our friends and family and the lifetime of interactions that was just part of our everyday are gone. In a literal heartbeat. Did we get a chance to say goodbye? Did we cherish the moments no matter how small while we had that special person? Would we have done it any different if we knew it would “be the last time” to see or speak to that loved one?

You see Mary, the mother of Jesus, understood this very well. In Luke chapter 2 we are able to have a brief look into the relationship of Christ and his mother. Luke tells us “but Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” She cherished every moment with Jesus, marveled at his ministry and held on to hope during the dark moments of the crucifixion.

What’s the next technolgy trend, the latest gizmo or gadget? What process or items get discarded and found on Ebay tomorrow as “Antique?” I don’t know and we don’t know what changes our lives face tomorrow. So ponder a little more. Cherish those family times no matter how mundane. Who knows – may be the last time you can.