Note to Self

Note to self; Life is too short.
Life is to damn short to remain stubborn, holding in anger and frustration.  Accept me as I am.  I will accept you.  I love my family.  We are all so different and kind of the same.  We've all have made mistakes, acted poorly from time to time and probably have many more secrets than we care to share.  Frequent interaction is not always necessary in order to share in each others lives. We don't particularly care for the same things, foods, people, etc. and that is okay.  It is OK not to do the same things. We can come together to share the things we DO enjoy with each other.
Precious time.  Time is precious.  One of my very dear friends found out that she has breast cancer.  She had to wait an almost unbearable amount to time for the doctors to piddle around with her precious time because they were on vacation, or busy for whatever reason.   They gave her a hard time about seeking a 2nd opinion and now her cancer has spread to her lymph nodes.  I know, I don't know for sure if their lack of attention to this matter actually caused the cancer to spread but tell that to this beautiful woman who waited two full months for them to get their act together!  That is precious time.  It makes me so mad!  Oh, yes.  She is strong.  She knows knows the Almighty God and she will fight her way through this and live.  Knowing God is what has helped her get through losing her mother to cancer at the beginning this year.  That disturbing event was quickly followed by the two month premature birth of her second grandson, the hospitalization of her husband due to pneumonia and a lung condition that has yet to be resolved.  The couple in reference has just now celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary.  Talk about precious time!  

Precious Time!  
Another dear friend of mine, in this very same time frame has been spending her days and nights at a hospital in Hollywood because her 17 year old daughter, (one of her twins) has leukemia!
Day after day of prayers, tears, hugs, doctors, etc. and now, finally she is in remission and on her last round of chemo.  I could write a book on this one or just print the on-going journals of her mother's facebook pages. This teenager/young woman and her beautiful twin sister smile proudly at the struggles they have been through.  We all thank God every day the way He guides their many friends and family to hold on to each other and help them through.  

Time is precious and I could go on and on with all the stories.  This sad story....seriously shows how short life is and is not to be wasted.  Early this year a 50 year old man was diagnosed with bladder cancer.   He attempted to connect with a few of his five siblings, most of whom hadn't heard from him in 20 years for reasons only he knew.   Because of stubbornness and this long standing silence he received a less than warm reception. His surgery went well, then chemo, radiation and  his doctor told him he was cancer free!  A few months flew by and he was determined to close out the only family he knew.  The cancer returned and by fall, he was gone.  

 Life is too short.  Twenty eight years of marriage for a couple who absolutely loved each other,  planned a beautiful life together, just began enjoying their empty nest when one morning the 51 year old husband suffered a massive heart attack and was gone.  He was only 51.  Life will never be the same without him.  I am so much more aware of how truly precious time is and how important it is to talk to one another.  Share with others.  Reach out to help each other.  Love one another.