My world and how I see it

This past Saturday I attended the funeral of a high school classmate of mine,Rickey Massey. I really had all kinds of mixed emotions when I got there. I saw classmates who I haven't seen in a very long time. Memories and emotions flooded each one of us at the thought of the life that we had just lost. I can remember being 18 and someone from the school newspaper asking me where I would be in 20 years and of course I gave the normal answer " Married, children, working for a really big newspaper in Boston, Ma." I can remember the football players, this friend who passed included, wanting to go to a really big name school and play in the NFL one day.

As I sat in the sports complex, I watched a mother cry as would soon bury her son, a 12 year old son cry as he would not know what it is like to watch his father one day see him play football, and former classmates, myself included, cry as we buried a friend, 18 years after we graduated from high school.

I wrote this one day last week, but nothing is promised to us. I think it is really good to have goals, like the ones we had the day we graduated from high school, but we also need to think.... we ave to really live each day like its our last. Nothing is promised to anyone of us.

As people got up to speak, one lady said something that maybe some of us have thought, but it really hit home with me. She told Rickey's mom a story that had happened just a few weeks before his death. Rickey had been at her home working on some papers that she was helping with and he mentioned that he had no money to purchase something he needed. As she looked around the sports complex at everyone sitting there, she said " its really sad that Rickey seemingly by the amount of people in this room had so many friends while he is laid in this box, but while he was alive he couldn't find one person to gave him a dollar. There was no reason he should have needed anything with this many friends." She finished her story and I thought to myself how right she was, her point was well made and taken.

God expects us to check on each other. He expects us to help in any way we can, to show love for our brothers and sisters. I am as guilty as the next, but is there really a reason there should be so many homeless, people in need of food, people not being able to keep the lights on in their homes?? I realize that we can't help everyone and there are alot of people who might take advantage of someone's kindness.. but honestly, is that for us to decide? We are to just do what we know is right and let God handle the rest. I have no automatic answers on how to handle that, or what would make it better.. I just know God commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.... it is one of the greatest commands.

For us to be even reading this, we have already been blessed. Now it's time to be a blessing for someone else today. Doesn't mean you have to spend alot of money, not even alot of time, but just be willing to put someone else above you. Make it not about you.

I am asking again, that you please pray for Rickey's family. If you have never experienced death of someone close... right now, things are as "ok" as they can be with people all around his mother and son. But as the weeks go on, the people leave and things get quiet, that's when they will need prayers the most. Pray for God's strength and comfort as they face many difficult days ahead.

I hope you all have a great week. I love you all very much and Lord willing,we will talk again soon