Random thoughts: What death taught me about Life

“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” ― Rose Kennedy

Forty-five minutes into the film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I can't breathe well enough to adequately fill my lungs. Tears drip down my upper lip into my mouth, and sadness cripples my voice. I feel the way I felt last September. This past September, I wrote the hardest piece I have ever had to write. It was my Mother’s eulogy.  She was one of the dearest people to my heart.  Death is never an easy thing to handle, especially for someone as sentimental as me and as a person who loves HARD. I've learned that no matter how much you try to prepare yourself for the death of a loved one you are never truly prepared.

“You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”  ~~Anne Lamott

You should never miss a chance to tell people that you love them. They can be taken from you in a blink of an eye. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Don't wait until you are standing at the foot of their grave to honor them. Pick up the phone today and call them, just to say, "I love you."

Know who your good friends are and work hard at maintaining those friendships. It's true what they say, "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" Over the past year I've learned that when the going gets tough, some of your so called friends are the ones who get going. They turn their back and walk away. What happened to being there for someone in good times and bad? I thank God for the gift of wonderful friends. 

I've learned that The Wizard of Oz has a bit of truth to it. When you're lost and trying to find your way back to a familiar place, life can be quite strange and difficult. However, you learn things and meet people along the way. Though your road is hard to travel you must never give up. It is important to have your brain, your heart, and your courage along with faith to make it through this life.