The Sporting Life: Tomorrow may never come, so make today count

Stop reading this right now and call your spouse, kids, parents, friends and anybody else you consider important. Tell them how much they mean to you.

Do it now don't wait until you've finished this column. It will be here when you're done making the phone calls. So will your paperwork, sales call and whatever else it is that's seemingly more important.

Do it now because you never know when it will be too late.

I used to live for work all the time. 24-7. Wake up thinking about it and go to sleep thinking about it. Go in early, stay late.

Wife, family, friends they'll be there tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next week. There's always tomorrow.

Recently, I've seen too many tomorrows never get here.

I have been fortunate I haven't had a close friend or family member die since I've been old enough to understand the concept of death.

Until recently, that is.

About two months ago my best friend's 61-year-old mother died. I felt for Anthony and the family.

We often try to justify it when older people die by saying that they lived a full life. Sixty-one, however, is way too young, and it sure doesn't help those left behind.

No more tomorrows.

About a month ago a close friend's brother died in a car wreck. He was 21. Richard told us at the visitation: "Go home and hug your kids." I did.

There is something especially wrong about watching parents bury a child.

The 15-year-old son of a friend, Kim, was in a car wreck about two weeks ago. The other boys walked away without any serious injuries, but Darren was in a coma for several days and it was touch-and-go for a while. Fortunately, Darren is expected to recover. While in the waiting room, Kim's boyfriend Alan told me: "Go home and hug that boy of yours." I did.

Fortunately for their family, there will be a tomorrow.

But those were automobile accidents. We try to justify those deaths and injuries because well, they were accidents. We tell ourselves that we're careful and that wouldn't happen to us.

Then there is death you can't justify no matter how you try.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kyle died in his sleep from natural causes on June 22. He was 33 and leaves a wife and three children.

He was my age.

How can a healthy person an athlete no less die in the prime of his life? If the other deaths didn't make you realize the fragility of life, then the Darryl Kyle story should.

It could be your spouse, child or a parent.

Or you!

Don't wait until it's too late go home and tell somebody important that you love them. Let them know how much they mean to you.

And live today like it may be your last day because it just might.

Make that call now there's always tomorrow for the work.

(Brent Lawrence is copy editor for the Business Journal.)