Chris' prayer: Matt Maher's "Behold the Lamb of God"

We will not forget

I've seen this phrase many times before. I've seen it on bumper stickers and window clings, tattoos and billboards, scrolling marquees and spray painted walls. It is a popular slogan to rally behind after a tragedy. I saw it after Columbine, after 9/11, after an acquaintance of a friend died suddenly in a car accident. A fitting tribute to those lost, helping remind ourselves of the impact they had on our lives.

I wonder, though, why we don't use this phrase more often for positive things that happen in our lives. I don't see "We will not forget" napkins at wedding receptions, "We will not forget" onesies for newborns, "We will not forget" Mother's and Father's Day cards.

Perhaps we think of change as something that is fixed, even despite it's definition, as something that can only exist or be quantified after it is finished, instead of acknowledging the process of being within change, as if to say, "I can't appreciate you until later."

I know that I could, at some times, be better about acknowledging and appreciating the people and things around me better before they are gone. I could also do better about letting those special people know that they have impacted me and continue to impact me throughout our ongoing relationship.