Lesson Learned...Again!

Life has a way of showing you exactly what you need to see if you open your eyes and heart to it.

This evening when I logged on to Facebook, I saw 3 pictures, one right after another that made me think. 

The first one was of my friend with her mom. She posted the older picture as she sits in a hospital, waiting to hear the latest update on her mom. Late last night, her mom suffered a brain aneurysm and went from good health to a hospital bed just that quick. She is out of surgery but will be in a coma until her body can heal properly. So we will continue to pray and pray some more. Then we will pray again. 

The second picture was of my friend Marie, who I miss so much. She passed away from Triple Negative Breast cancer and every time I see her picture, I feel a sadness that has not gotten easier.  She was always there for her pink sisters and always knew the right thing to say. Like so many other sisters, her death was sudden. It was devastating for me and I can’t imagine what her family is going through. I miss her so much.

The third picture was a picture posted by my nephew.  He posted the ultrasound picture of his wife’s and his new baby bundle to be. I’m so excited for him and the journey the new baby will take him on.  

I went from such sadness to overwhelming joy, all from looking at pictures, but it also made me think about the beauty and fragility of life.

 I thought about the student who was completely amazed by how the icing would “glue” his gingerbread house together and all of the sweet treats on it as well. The student who asked me if he could call me over the winter break just because he wanted to hear my voice and who’s worried that he’ll have a different teacher when we come back, even though I explained to him that this was just a winter break not summer vacation. 

I thought about the plans to make gingerbread houses, go to the movies, playing games and so much more that I have with my kids now that they are on break. 

I thought about my husband and our plans for this year. We just celebrated our 20^th anniversary, and instead of gifts we will celebrate by doing one thing off of our bucket list together each month. 

I also thought about another friend who is still coping with the news that it’s time to put her dad in hospice care. I want so much for her to realize that she has that strength in her to deal with all things that come her way. Her children will be part of that strength to help her through this time. I pray that he enjoys the time that he has still on this earth, instead of living in fear of what’s to come. 

Every now and then life has a way of smacking me back to reality. I get so caught up in the routine of day to day living that I start rushing more and more until there doesn’t feel like there is enough time in my day.

Those pictures reminded me that no matter what is going on or how late I am, stop and give that tight hug and say, “I love you” before walking out the door. 

I know that tomorrow will never come and that today is a gift, but so often that is forgotten. Today, lesson is learned and I am ready to wake my children and enjoy today with my family.  I hope that today you find something to enjoy about life. I hope you find a smile and pass it on to someone else. I hope you know that you will always have someone who is praying for you and hoping for the best for you. 

Enjoy your gift of today.