My son graduated from high school last night. And, by God’s
grace, I was there to witness it!
Being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness changes your
perspective in so many ways. At first, the future is so cloudy you can’t see
more than a few days into it ~ just until the next medical test or dreaded
phone call. You wonder if you’ll even be here to enjoy the fall fair, celebrate
Christmas, or welcome the new life of spring. You fear that the milestones most
people get to experience will never be reality for you.
But then you realize that no one is guaranteed tomorrow ~ or even the next minute. You begin
to treasure the moments ~ even things that might have caused irritation before
~ because you are just thankful to be here. You begin to hope ~ not expect ~
that you’ll have the opportunity to do those things you’ve dreamed of. Life and
relationships and time become oh-so-precious.
The tricky part comes when life moves back toward normal ~
even if it’s a new normal. You settle
into a routine, start to anticipate what each day will look like, and feel upset when things don’t go the way you’d planned. You chafe at
frustrations and chide yourself for what hasn’t gotten done. Until someone
reminds you: “The important thing is
that you’re here. Just be.”
Last night’s graduation did that for me. It was a reminder
to be “in the moment” ~ in the midst of the rush and the stress of preparation,
to take a deep breath, look around me with wonder, and think, “I’m here! I
could have missed this, but God let me live.”
Let’s not take a moment that we are given for granted. Each
breath, each experience with a loved one, is a gift!
I can identify with this so well, Anne. Each day is truly a gift. Glad you ALL could enjoy the graduation!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah. I know you've walked a similar road!
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