I will never forget you

It is a wonderful gift for someone to say,"I will never forget you!" We want to be remembered, to have made a lasting difference. Perhaps some of our anxiety about what we will wear and what we will accomplish tomorrow can be traced to this desire: "Will anyone remember me?" "Will I contribute anything of lasting value?"
In today's first reading, from the prophet Isaiah, our God says, "I will never forget you" (Isaiah 49:15). Before we ever see tomorrow, before we ever achieve any of our lofty goals, God declares us eternally valuable and unforgettable. Doesn't that make your day?
There is an old saying that life is what happens to us while we are busy making other plans. How often do the people and events of today pass unnoticed because we are preoccupied with concerns about the future? Sometimes when there is a death in a family, one hears the survivors lament all that they did not do for the deceased. "I was so busy with my career plans, I never spent time with her." "I put so much energy into establishing my place in the community, I forgot he was lonesome."