68°F
weather icon Clear

Make every moment matter

Updated April 29, 2018 - 12:36 pm

Life is short. No matter how long we live, it never seems to be quite long enough.

There’s always more to do, places to see and goals to accomplish, regardless of what stage of life we are in or what our age is.

Several things in the past couple of weeks have reminded me about mortality, including visits to hospitals and several deaths, among them.

Throughout the weeks, while dealing with one thing or another, there was one constant that served as a beacon of hope: concern from family and friends.

Through visits, phone calls and texts, we kept each other informed and comforted. Interaction with others, no matter how close they were to the situation at hand, was essential to dealing with these hard times. This was especially true for a Boulder City resident I am proud to have called my friend, Ed Waymire, who died Friday.

We weren’t especially close, but seeing him always brought a smile to both of our faces and the promise of a welcoming hug.

I never failed to stop and visit with him whenever we attended the same event. And I had the privilege of sharing the love story between Ed and his late wife, Billie, several years ago. They were so devoted to each other and knew how to take advantage of every moment together.

Billie died in July 2016. After that, Ed was lost.

Though he was always surrounded by friends and ever-present at meetings and events in town, life for him was never the same.

Every time we met, he told me how much he missed the love of his life and partner of 53 years.

I last saw him just days before he died. There was no indication that his time was nearly up, but there was a definite sadness in him. I regret that I didn’t make the time to visit more often or take him to lunch. There never seemed to be enough or the right time to do either.

It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia of day-to-day life. There will always be more chores to do, obligations to attend to and interruptions or crises that seem to take precedence over everything.

Yet, the reality is a lot of these things can wait. Not permanently, but at least for a couple of minutes. Long enough for us to reach out to our loved ones and friends to say hello and let them know we are thinking of them. Long enough for us to take in the beauty of a desert sunrise or sunset. Long enough for us to take steps that will ensure our good health for the future.

The question now is can the things that rattle us today, making us change our actions to appreciate the good, last for more than a just a day or two.

Life may be short, but let’s take the time to make those moments matter.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Helmets could be matter of life and death

Nobody likes a mandate. After serving in city and state government for more than 30 years, that is one of the biggest lessons I learned. But sometimes, mandates keep us safe and even save lives.

Army veteran helps foster children

Most cities and states have chambers of commerce that promote, well, commerce.

Birds and trees and forests and stuff

Okay so, I know I am not normal. It’s true. And it’s something I have embraced as I’ve gotten older. I just don’t have what anyone might describe as “standard” human wiring when it comes to the way I think and the way I see the world.

We all benefit from Eldorado Valley

Last week, Mayor Joe Hardy shared details in his opinion piece (“The Gift that Keeps Giving”) about Boulder City’s purchase of more than 100,000 acres of the former Eldorado Valley Transfer Area from the Colorado River Commission in 1995.

Back-to-school lessons in gratitude

This week is back-to-school week in Boulder City, the first time in 27 years that I don’t have a child in public schools.

Unhappy with lawsuit

Unhappy with lawsuit

Eldorado Valley: The gift that keeps on giving

Boulder City may be considered a small town with a population around 15,000 people, but our land mass of 212 square miles makes us the largest city by geographic area in Nevada and the 41st largest in the United States.

Letters to the Editor

Choosing the right market

Communicating best with love

Our hearts contain consciousness that is most apparent when we enjoy love in conversations. The more we stare at screens instead of faces, the less we feel this love. Shared understanding arises from our intimate, interpersonal conversations. Healing arising from loving communications is what America is missing at this time.