What Really Matters

I just found out yesterday that an old friend had died. We'd just recently been back in touch (one of the wonderful things about FB), and I was so happy to see where his life had taken him. He was a lovely wonderful person who had a much bigger impact on me than he ever knew, and I'll miss him very much.

Because of this, I've been thinking about the things in life that are truly important. I've taken some bad knocks emotionally this year, my life has been turned upside down, and I've had to change all of my ideas about what my future is going to be.

But that's not a bad thing. It's a painful thing yes, transformation and major life changes always are. The good thing about this is that everything over the last 6 months, and especially the last day, have renewed my sense of what has value in my life and what can be shed.

Life is so very short, it's so fragile. It can be gone in an instant. The things in this life that make it worth living for me are the people, and the relationships I've been lucky enough to have. There are many friends in my life that I haven't seen in years, there are friends I have that I've never met in person, but every one of these people has had an impact on me. Every one of you has brought something special into my life, and I am so grateful to have the privilege of knowing you.

As for the knocks I've taken this year, so what. I'm not the first woman who's had a cheating husband or her house robbed, or been lied to by a "friend", and I won't be the last. In the vast scheme of things, what's happened over the past year is just a pebble in the pond of my life.

I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back and shoes on my feet. I have food on my table, a job and the means to get to it. I have two beautiful healthy children, a loving family, and wonderful friends. Everything above and beyond that is gravy.

None of us are promised any more than this very moment that we're in. The next day, hour, minute, breath can be taken away. Each second is precious, each connection is a gift, and each person that touches our lives is something to treasure.

I treasure all of you.