The Gift of Borrowed Time

The best thing we build is the people we leave behind

#MindsetMonday • 9:00 p.m. Dec. 1, 2025

A couple of weeks ago, we stood together to honor a man whose life left fingerprints all over our community – the kind of leader whose presence lifted people and whose generosity quietly shaped the place we call home. You could feel it in the room: he didn’t just make an impact… he made people better.

But the moment that stayed with me came from his son, who said something simple and profound: “We got two extra years we didn’t expect ... and had a lot of great conversations.”

That line stopped me in my tracks.

In a world full of deadlines, noise, and constant motion, we forget that the deepest blessings often come disguised as something ordinary – extra time, another sunrise, one more chance to talk, laugh, forgive, ask, listen, or simply be together.

Those two years weren’t guaranteed. They weren’t promised. They were grace, the kind only God can give. And they became the backdrop for conversations that turned into memories that will carry a family through the hardest days of grief.

Standing there, in that moment, one truth became clear: The greatest legacy isn’t what you build – it’s who you build.

His family reflects his heart: Graceful, positive, generous, passionate about business and community, anchored in love. You don’t get a family like that by accident. You get it by showing up – day after day, year after year – in all the ways that truly matter.

That got me thinking. If God handed us “extra time,” would we recognize it? Would we treat it like the miracle it is? Or would we blow through it like just another Wednesday?

So this week, let's remember: We don’t have to be told our time is short to start living like it's precious. Make the phone call. Have the conversation. Say the words they need to hear. Forgive quicker. Slow down long enough to notice the people right in front of you.

Don’t wait for “extra time” to start loving well. Start now – because every day is borrowed, and every moment is a chance to create a legacy worth leaving. This gentleman did exactly that, and the other night, we witnessed the ripple effect.

May we all live in such a way that when our time here is done, our families can look back and say, “We had great conversations, we were given more than we deserved, we were loved well.”