Here Today, Gone Today

Here we can be here today, and how we can leave today.

Here Today, Gone Today

I have always been taught of the phrase “you can be here today, and gone today,” however as a naïve young man I have paid it any attention until now. It was on April 9, 2010 that I seen a man named Jerry. Jerry was the type of person whom everyone loved, he always like to joke around with people, always in a positive mood, never sad. On April 9, there was a funeral for a man named James, who was also a great man, a deacon in the church, everyone respected him. James suddenly got sick from double pneumonia, and he passed away suddenly and without notice. It shocked everyone, even myself. However at that funeral, Jerry spoke to me and my grandfather before the funeral, and sat behind us because that’s where all the men who were going to sing in the choir for the funeral was going to sit. And of course, as usual he had to do his daily rounds, to make everyone laugh. But it was the next day at 2 pm, Jerry left this world, suddenly and without notice. Right before his death, he was talking to a man named Harold, also a deacon at the church about the funeral, and Jerry showed no sign of death arriving. It was two hours later after they got off the phone, that Harold found out that Jerry had died of a massive heart attack.

With all of that, Here today and gone today is very real for any person. One moment you may feel fine, you can feel so energized, thinking nothing will happen, thinking death will not knock on your door. However it can strike any person at any time. For those who are reading this, you may be here today, and you may be gone today. Tomorrow is not promised, the next minute is not promised. Things can happen so suddenly, that you cant pause time to make sure everything is in order. My parents also taught me that we as humans should live everyday as if it’s our last day on this earth. Treat those around you as those you will never see them again. And that’s very true, we must live as though it is our last day here because as stated before, you can be here today and gone today. Another story I can think of is about a man named Martin. Martin was a very well known car dealership owner, everyone knew him. Martin was a regent at the local university, he helped build up the lower income neighborhood. It was on a hot day in July, when Martin, a local bank branch president, a car dealership owner was riding their motorcycles on a old country road, having the time of their lives when a drunk woman driving a Ford pickup truck, hit them. Martin and the bank branch president died, the other car dealership owner lost him leg. Now that morning when they left their homes, when they told their families good bye, no one knew other than god that two of them was never to return home. No one knew that they were going to get killed by some random drunk lady on the road. That’s why we must live everyday to the fullest, wake up as though that’s the last time you are ever going to wake up. I say that because we can be here today, and gone today.