Today when I went to the hospital to visit my mother, I saw a friend of mine walking out of one of the other rooms. I wondered, of course, why she was there. I never saw her re-enter, but she did, because a little while later I saw her coming out again. This time she came the direction of mom’s room, and saw me. She stopped in the hall and motioned for me to come out. I asked her who she was seeing, and she said it was Jordan. Jordan is her son, and one of my son’s best friends. Both boys are 19. Actually, there’s 8 of them who refer to themselves as “the boys”. :wink (As a sidenote here — all 7 other boys went to see him tonight. Don’t you just know the nurses were thrilled?? :lol) So anyway, she proceeded to tell me that Jordan’s appendix had ruptured! He lives away from home and is going to college about 100 miles from here. He started feeling ill on Thursday, but thought it was just the flu. Friday wasn’t much better for him, so he decided to drive home so he could be more comfortable. By Saturday night, he was very sick. His Mom and Dad talked him into going to the E.R. (thank goodness!). His appendix had already ruptured by the time he got to the hospital. He’s one lucky young man. I’m so thankful he decided to come home for the weekend. I hate to think of what might have happened had he not done so. He told his parents his plan was to just “tough it out”, which would have had a disasterous outcome!

I’m telling you all of this because ….

it is just one more thing in a long string of recent events which have shown me how very fragile life really is. Oh, I know we all say it, but do we LIVE it?? I don’t think so. Since January, both of my sisters have experienced very serious “events” involving their hearts, and now Jordan, too. In the past, my husband has been through 2 car accidents which could have very easily killed him. But they didn’t, thank God. So in pondering all of this, I find myself feeling extremely fortunate and blessed to still have my loved ones with me; and also very fortunate to have had the lesson of life’s fragility drummed into my brain. I have become much more appreciative of every day, and tend to blow off the small stuff which really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of things. I make a point of always telling those I love exactly how much I care about them, and I never let a day go by without hugging, kissing, patting or otherwise touching the people I love. Love touches, ya’ know? They are so important. I’ve also made a point of articulating my appreciation for the things people do for me — especially the little, oftentimes overlooked things, because they truly do mean the most.

So … the next time you’re feeling frustrated and flustered; rushed and grumpy, take a moment to breathe deeply, close your eyes, and think about everything and everyone in your life which make it worth living — and then go and tell those people how much you appreciate them, and how thankful you are for their love and friendship. But don’t do it because you want to hear them say it back to you; do it because it will lift your spirit and brighten your outlook — plus it will enable you to see with much more clarity the reason we are here — for each other. Try not to let the muck and mire of the world cloud what is truly important. You will live with much fewer regrets if you don’t. :smile

Okay, I’m climbing off my :soapbox now.

:ears