WILLIAM J. FINNIGAN Charley gives reminders to value life, keep going

Our hearts go out to those in the Punta Gorda, Fla., area whose lives have been radically changed by the recent Hurricane Charley. How widespread was the devastation in such a brief time! What interruption of tranquility to the multitudes of retirees whose life-long dreams were in the process of fulfillment, not to mention the precious lives that were snuffed out.
Just last February an old high school buddy and his wife invited us to spend a week with them in Punta Gorda. What a beautiful spot, right on the canal! We had a fabulous time together, soaking up that Florida sun that everyone talks about. But I just got word that the very place where we stayed was leveled to the ground. Wow! That's too close for comfort. We're grateful to God that we're still here -- safe and sound in the "depressed" area of Youngstown.
The value of now
Life is so short and fragile at best. It's like a vapor or puff of smoke -- so fleeting and temporary. Retirement dreams are legitimate but so uncertain. The real problem lies with making a place like Florida some utopia in itself. I'm sure many have dreamed of having a place in the "sunshine state," attended by ultimate happiness and pleasure. But such happiness can never be achieved or sustained by a geographic location. Remember the first couple, Adam and Eve, fell into disgrace and misery in a perfect environment -- the Garden of Eden.
Some time ago, my son related an incident regarding a fellow employee. All this man talked about was his anticipation of retirement in Florida. For years he worked overtime, scraping and saving money for that "big day." Finally that day came, and he walked out of the office with a lilt in his step and a smile on his face. The well-wishers were lined up to bid him goodbye, and off he went to the parking lot. He got to his car, opened the trunk to dispense of his personal things and was struck with a massive heart attack. Yes, he never even got home alive, much less to his "paradise" in Florida.
Keep on moving
Please don't infer that the writer is putting down retirement per se. It must be great to give a company 30-plus years of your life and then retire with pension and benefits. At least that's the way it used to be. But the issue is, do we have real purpose of life in those retirement years? Or is it just the fact that we don't have to "work" anymore? We all know folks who, when they stopped working, stopped living (literally or otherwise).
As a minister, I happen to have a "job" that never ends. The worse things get, the more I work. That's the joy of mending broken lives. I've thought of getting a place on the Gulf and enjoying the beauty and rest of the Florida seacoast. But I could not do that for any length of time without returning to "duty." I'm not criticizing those who have that ambition but simply stating that life is too short to spend all my time watching the sunset. Our lives are a gift from God, to be given away in service to others; we never know when our time here is up. Thus, let's live with eternity in view, when we shall stand before God and give an account of our priorities.
For one, my plans recently were challenged by my grandson, who just died of leukemia. He heard my wife and I discussing the possibility of retirement, upon which he retorted: "Gramp, you mean refirement, don't you?" What can I say -- that stuck in my craw, and now I can only visualize dying with my boots on. Remember, it's not how long we live, but how we live that counts. Indeed, life is short and fragile -- handle with care and prayer. Amen.
XWilliam J. Finnigan is the director of biblical instruction for the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley.