But then I stop and think about my "problems" and realize they are so so very small in this large world. I have all that I could ever really want and need (except for a permanent place to call home), but really, life's too short to let that eat me alive.
On Monday, we got word that my Uncle's first wife (who is still very close to our family and my mom in particular), lost her only son. She's a single mom who lived every minute of her life for her 18 year old whom she actually named after my Grandpa (even though Tommy wasn't my uncle's son and she had him after she and my uncle got divorced). She loved my grandparents that much. Tommy was a great kid... as Eagle Scout, involved with his church, and had just signed up to serve our country after graduation. He was Liz's world. And her world came crashing down on Monday when his truck wrapped around a tree on the way to school and he was killed instantly. She went from loving life to losing her everything.
Later that night, my mom's cousin passed away. This past November, he was diagnosed with cancer and just a last week was given just months to live by hospice. He made it just one more week.
Life is too short people. Hug those that mean the world to you. Tell the people you love that you love them every single day. And don't take anything, even the wild ride of life, for granted. I'm sure that Liz and Denis's wife would love to be on my wild ride right now instead of the places that they are...
