You've Got To Live Ready

by HillisRanUover on Dec 17, 2009 5:03 PM MST

I know this site is about football... specifically Bronco's Football, but I hope that maybe you would be gracious enough to allow me to veer off the path a bit... not to talk about football, but to talk about life. Today, as news of the death of Cincinnati Bengal's WR Chris Henry circulates, I thought maybe we should all take a moment to remember how fragile life really is, and how important it is to "live ready" at all times.

By all accounts, Chris Henry was just starting to find his groove in life. He was only 26, and was growing as an professional football player and as a person. The troubles that plagued him early on in his career had seemingly been resolved and put behind him. He had a very bright, bright future ahead of him.

And such is the crux of life. It quietly deceives us all into thinking that our lives will just go on and on, and that we have thousands of days left to live our lives. Unfortunately, as in this instance, that is not always the case. The truth is that every day we are given is a gift. Tommorrow is not a gaurantee for any one of us. We must never allow ourselves to take TODAY for granted... because if we do, we can easily miss the opportunities God has given us to love and to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

If today were your last day, would those closest to you know exactly how much you loved them? Would your kids know how important they are to you? Would you have a peace about how you are leaving the relationship with your husband or wife? Would your friends understand how valuable thier friendship was to you?

If Chris Henry could come back and share something with us, right here today, I believe he would tell us all how important it is to live today, as if it was possibly our last... because you never really know what will happen tomorrow.

So today, take a moment and hug your kids and tell them that you love them. Take a moment to appreciate your wife for all she does, and tell her how much she means to you. If you are in conflict with someone... let it go and forgive them. Whatever it means for you to "LIVE READY"... just do it. You'll be glad you did.

May the grace and peace of God be with Chris Henry, his kids, his family, and all those who called him friend.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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Comments

Thanks HRU

very well said, and very appropriate

"Never give up! Never surrender!" Captain Peter Quincy Taggert in "Galaxy Quest"
"The best defense is a good offense. Or is it the other way around." Wolverine
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It

by Brian Shrout on Dec 17, 2009 5:04 PM MST reply actions

good advice HRU

Owning the Patriots since September 9, 1960

by Darin H on Dec 17, 2009 5:17 PM MST reply actions

Thank You HRU

The QB position is set.

by broncofaninIL on Dec 17, 2009 6:16 PM MST reply actions

Well said HRU.

Things like this certainly put things into perspective.

If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.

by Troy Hufford on Dec 17, 2009 6:21 PM MST reply actions

Thanks HRU...

-Richee
-Measure your performance against your best competitors and consider how you can use it to beat them the next time!
-Your concious mind can only hold one thought at a time, positive or negative. Which is it going to be???

by BroncoSense72 on Dec 17, 2009 6:28 PM MST reply actions

Here....Hear! We live in such a fast paced life these days that the little things seem to pass us by...

I was thinking that last night when I heard the news of his demise.

by bfree2bronc on Dec 17, 2009 11:59 PM MST reply actions

Well said HRU

Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks

by KaptainKirk on Dec 18, 2009 12:45 AM MST reply actions

Great read, very well said

Tomorrow is not guaranteed, life’s short so enjoy it while you can.

The only difference between genius and insanity is perception

by Markus2112 on Dec 18, 2009 7:16 AM MST reply actions

Good reminder

that if we don’t stop and smell the flowers occasionally, life will run us over, and it will be too late to do it then.

RIP Chris Henry and Darrent Williams.

"All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses." Friedrich Nietzsche

by Horsepower on Dec 18, 2009 8:03 AM MST reply actions

Thanks HP. That is officially my desktop background, now. RIP DWill and Chris Henry

If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.

by Troy Hufford on Dec 18, 2009 9:42 AM MST up reply actions

That's a sobering...

…and heart breaking photo.

The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind-- Pearl Jam, "I am Mine"

by PredominantlyOrange on Dec 18, 2009 11:37 AM MST up reply actions

He was chasing his love

Right or wrong, his passion was at work. The result was bad but the passion is what got him in the NFL. When life runs you over, ( sad irony there) is exactly when you will be able to “stop and smell the flowers”

Opinions are like......, Well anyway, this is mine.

by Sean in Pa. on Dec 18, 2009 6:54 PM MST up reply actions

Amen

happy to be the 10th rec here…

"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" -- Wimpy J. Wellington

by Broncs Cheer on Dec 18, 2009 9:02 AM MST reply actions

Thanks

After the sudden death of my mother this year, this all became painfully apparent to me.

Truth is, none of us know when we leave the house in the morning whether we’ll return.

Yes, today really could be the last day you’re here, so live now- no regrets.

Thanks again.

by AllBroncsallday on Dec 18, 2009 9:58 AM MST reply actions

Well said HRU

I lost my youngest son in an auto accident a few years back, he was just 18. So I couldn’t agree with you more. Life is too short, live like tomorrow’s your last day, and keep on doing that until it actually is. You’ll never regret the life you’ve been given.

"A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do" Walter Gagenot
"Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible."

by bchiper on Dec 18, 2009 3:52 PM MST reply actions

I'm very sorry to hear that

I’m very sorry for your loss, bchiper. I can only imagine how horrible that would be- my condolences.

by AllBroncsallday on Dec 19, 2009 11:02 AM MST up reply actions

A Naysayer

I have also heard that maybe his path wasn’t so righted….

It is easy to get caught up in a public loss such as this and to see the better side of the deceased. It is also easy to get caught up in thoughts of mortality.

I think we should all live our lives as if we did have a thousand days. Better to have lived and lost than never to have lived at all. Isn’t that the famous quote??

maybe it is loved. I think lived is better. I am no shining example of how to live, it may even be said that my life would be a good lesson in what not to do but I am happy with my experiences and what I have seen and done. I have known too many people afraid to make a move, afraid to make a change, to take a chance because of what they know, what is comfortable. take a chance, make the leap!
What happened to Chris Henry is a tragedy to be sure. This happens to countless unkown people each year and it goes unremarked. I think that is the saddest thing, we only really seem to mourn those that make the press. Those that have a name!

My point here is that while what happened to a celebrity is a sorrowful thing, it is not a singular thing. It really should not be fodder for anyone to say “hey, today I will tell my loved ones I care.” I would hope we all show our love to those closest to us and further that no-one take this as cause to be more cautious. No one knows what lies tomorrow, nor should we. Take what the day gives and KNOW that tomorrow will be there for to live with the fear of the end is to not live at all!

Opinions are like......, Well anyway, this is mine.

by Sean in Pa. on Dec 18, 2009 6:43 PM MST reply actions 1 recs

Amen brother. Well said. +1

It certainly seems like something may have been going on between his fiancee and him. However, he had turned a corner in his life, as far as getting in trouble with the NFL. He was part of the reason why the Bengals were slapped with the “Cincinnati Jailbirds” nickname from people around the cincinnati area. He was constantly getting in trouble and earning 8 game suspensions. As far as that part of his life is concerned, he had definitely changed and stayed on the straight and narrow, which I can explain in more detail later.

This incident that cost him his life is one surrounded in mystery. There have been all kinds of reports surrounding the incident saying that . I heard some of them on WCPO in Cincinnati on the six oclock news saying that the driver may have tried to force him out of the car using driving tactics or something or that Chris may have jumped out as a suicide. I’m going to withhold judgement until we all know for certain what was going on, for sure.

I do know this. Chris had stayed out of the national spotlight by playing football and doing his job and staying with his family. He hadn’t been in trouble since March of 2008. That says a lot, considering he was in trouble for 7 different incidences from late 2005 to his suspension in 2007. When he was arrested in March for punching a man, the Bengals released him. He was out of the NFL until the Bengals suffered a few injuries and resigned him. Since he was dropped, Henry hasn’t had any problems for over a year and a half. So, I’d say that his path was certainly righted, as far as we know.

Again, it is hard to say, at this point, because we aren’t sure about the details of the incident.

If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.

by Troy Hufford on Dec 18, 2009 7:20 PM MST up reply actions