A Word About Firsts,... Life in all its complexities and nuances is crowded with occasions we call 'first times.' My life began, almost certainly, with a crying episode. (Although I don’t recall it, I must have been absolutely squalling,) The first time I ever took a breath. The first time I ever got smacked on my behind, As some doctor I’d never met before, Held me up to a world I’d never been to before, And said, “Welcome to humanity.” I’d never been welcomed to humanity before. And I’d never cried, before, either. Very first time for both things. A friend gave us some persimmons the other day. I love persimmons, now. But the first time I ever tasted one? I remember it well. My cousin, Billy Chilton, who lived in the country, Thought it would be hilarious to watch a kid from the city, Take his very first bite of a green persimmon. I know it was hilarious for my cousin. But for me? Not so much. I remember the first time I ever tasted coffee, too. And I wondered who in their right mind could ever like something that bitter? But I drink coffee, first thing every morning, now, Because my life is still filled with first things. I remember the first girl I liked in the second grade. And the first job I ever got paid for. (My mom gave me jobs, like taking out the garbage, But she never thought taking out the garbage should warrant any paycheck, So I can’t remember the first time I had to take out the garbage. But it was a lot!) I remember the preaching of the first sermon I ever delivered. (I don’t remember the sermon; just the preaching, which was pretty sad. I tried my best not to make the people who were listening too sad, But I could tell by the expressions on their faces: they were pained, as they sat listening to the first sermon I ever tried to preach) The first time I kissed my wife. The first time I looked through a hospital nursery window at my first-born son. The first fish I ever caught. (A bluegill in a farm pond. My dad put the worm on my hook.) Lot's of firsts I can't remember, of course. First time I ate ice cream? First time I tasted a lemon? I don’t remember the first words I ever spoke, even though I was there. And for a certainty, I won’t remember the last words I will speak, either, even though I'll be there. Just as certainly as there was a first word … there will be a last. My life has included an incredibly long list of first time things. But, today, I was also somewhat struck with an equally challenging idea: My life also includes a number of last time things. Funny thing about last times—they happen quietly, without fanfare, and we don’t realize they've occurred until they’re long gone. There's a good chance I won’t know it when I’m doing something important for the last time. I need to pay more attention when I tell people 'Good-bye,' this week, I think, just in case … well, you know. “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” — Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)
