Each New Day

There's a certain part of me that has hard time with letting go of the past. I hold onto the memories that were created, good or bad, and find myself constantly thinking about them. There are things that I wish were different about my past, but I don't wish that they were different. I am who I am today because of what was done yesterday. Choices that I made three years ago still affect the choices that I make today.
I found a quote at a previous job, and I copied it and hung it on my refrigerator. I found myself staring at it earlier today and just rolling the words over in my head.
I may have shared this before, but it's been on my mind as of late, so I would like to share it.
"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind... let it be something good." 
I do not know who wrote this, but I am glad they did. I am so quick to zone out during my day and just go through the motions. I try to maintain some level of spontaneity in my day to day life, but there is only so much one can do before things are repeated. The days that repeat themselves drag, and I find myself wishing that they were just over with. But, I need to stop and think about just what that would mean. I would be missing out on a whole day that I could have used to impact someone's life. By becoming a drone in those days, I risk the chance of missing out on something so amazing that it only happens once. Life is numbered whether we like it or not. Our days are numbered, and we are unaware of what our individual number is. For all I know, my last day could be today. I might not wake up tomorrow which would mean I would be in His presence, but that would mean that I have spent the majority of my last day on earth going through the motions of my schedule rather than being a light in someone's dark day. 
I know that there are many people who do not enjoy talking about death, but its a very real part of our lives. Dwelling on death is not recommended, but allowing it to inspire you to be the best that you can be and the most influential you can be is what I am suggesting.
I experienced a loss a little over a year ago. It was hard and more real than I ever thought death would be to me. It shook my world more than I could have ever imagined. My cousin, who is only a couple years younger than I, was taken out of this world in an awful accident. It is viewed as an awful thing by most, and I have family who are still so torn by it. There lives have been shaken and have yet to settle. 
As much as it seems unfair, I think, actually, I know that God uses these things to wake people up. Does it seem fair to our finite human minds? No, but that's why he is God and we are mere human beings. We are not capable of understanding his reasonings behind what he does or what he allows to have happen. Often times, two people are molded out of tragic situations, those who are changed forever by the traumatic events and inspire to be different and those who cannot move past the event to see the big picture.
Her death was a wake up call to many. When I see a picture of her, I think about how my life here on earth is numbered and a gift. I am not the master of my own life no matter how hard I try to be. I cannot say when things will change or when I will no longer be able to take a breath. But, I am able to seize the moment and breathe in the life that God has given me in that very moment. I am capable of seeing the beauty that is around me and the beauty that is rising from the ashes each day. I can choose to be His instrument each day that I am alive.
My cousin is remembered as so many different things because she was involved in so many people's lives. I want to be remembered as someone who seized the moment given to her, who lived for the moments that took her breath away, who created meaning out of little things, who showed passion for people, and who was willing to learn along the way. I don't want to be a robot who goes through the scripted moments of each day. I want to live as if this were my last and live with a purpose. I want my yesterday to be the introduction to my today, but without regrets of what it contains. I want to view each new day as an open canvas dying to be painted.
And, I want others to have that same desire to seize the moment and embrace the day that has been given to them.