Thinking about the lasts

I don't know if it is because I am leading grief recovery groups and hearing the stories of people who have lost loved ones...but lately I have been thinking about the lasts.

When you have a baby, everyone talks about looking forward to the firsts--first smile, first crawl, first steps. But nobody ever talks about the lasts--the last time your child crawls, the last time they nurse or drink from a bottle, the last time they sit in a highchair or the last time they sit in your lap (see my previous post on this one).

And this pondering of the lasts does not simply apply to babies. We catapult forward through life looking forward to the firsts--first kisses, first drink =), first vote, first love, first job, first day of retirement and on and on. But we are not encouraged or as inclined to spend much time pondering the lasts.

I am hearing a lot about how painfully precious the last things are to people in life--last smiles, last kisses, last goodbyes. I wonder what the world would be like if we looked forward to the firsts, always knowing that somwhere in background the lasts are waiting. Would people slow down? Would they be kinder? Would they complain less and thank more?

Maybe we should ponder the lasts first and see what happens.

Journey on...