Tragedy, Inspiration, and Shooting Stars

 Over the past two days, I have read and heard two different stories about friendships, loss, and regret. The first was a beautifully written post by The Grateful Yogini about losing touch with a friend who was terminally ill and her regrets. It can be a difficult read, but I firmly believe everyone should give it a look.

The second story occurred locally, a scant few days ago. Here in DFW, the #1 radio station is the all-sports station, KTCK 1310 "The Ticket". Most of the time, the shows are devoted to sports, movies, girls, "guy-talk" and the like. Every so often, however one of the hosts pulls back the curtain on their personal life.  "The Gentle Musers", is a show that has been on the air for as long as the station has operated (18 years now). All three of the hosts are close to me in age, so I can relate to them and have sort of "grown up" with them if you will. Anyway, this morning George spoke about a tragedy that had befallen a family in the small town where he resides, and his and the town's reaction to it. It is a must listen .

Both stories contain the same message, which cannot be repeated enough:

Life is short.

You never know when it will be taken away.

Call. Write. E-mail. Text.

Send a card.

Send flowers or go to lunch -- just because.

Hug. Squeeze. Kiss.

Above all:

Be grateful for the little things...

the unmade bed

the dirty dishes

holding hands during a storm

snowball fights

and on and on and on....

Our time here is precious.

Once lost, it is never given back.

I must learn to not waste so much time...