Monday, May 23, 2011

a time to reflect.

this past friday a friend and coworker of mine, chris, passed away. he was diagnosed with stage four hodgkin's lymphoma and started chemotherapy within a few weeks. the cancer went away but the chemotherapy ended up burning his lungs. he went into the hospital but the damage was too severe and he passed away a few days later. he was only twenty eight years and was married with a young little boy with autism. i just ask that you please pray for his family through this time and send encouragement and good thoughts their way.




with his passing many of us at work have been talking about life and how fragile and precious it is. in times like this it makes you realize just how lucky you are to be able to wake up in the morning and for each new day God gives you. it also makes you look at the people in your life and how we are uncertain how much longer we have with them and also makes you appreciate the time you have with them.


and i definitely did the same thing.





i wouldn't be where i am today or the woman i am without this  lady. she's been the rock that's kept me grounded all these years and the shoulder i have cried on from hundreds of miles away. i cannot imagine my life without her and hope to never experience that loss. she has helped me work through the toughest challenges life constantly throws and has stuck with me through it all. she is the very best friend i could ever pray for and i love her with all my heart.

 i hope you all take time in your day to think about the incredible people God places in your life and cherish them all while they are yours. one day they might be here, the next they might be gone. you might replay that last conversation in your head over and over and wish you could have said sorry one last time. so make every day count. tell the people you love that you love them. kiss your grandma. pet your dog every night. call that friend who lives our of state when they pop into your head. appreciate the people in your life to the fullest. and love without regret.

2 comments:

  1. i love that paragraph about your friend:) she's a sweetheart!
    gosh. i know all about crying on the best friend's shoulder hundreds of miles away....my best friend is 6 hrs away, always has been... :\

    love this.

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  2. what a bittersweet post.

    i am so sorry for chris' family; i can't imagine the loss they must feel. i will keep his family in my mind. gosh, i wonder why life has to be so hard sometimes.

    on the sweet side...
    i am blessed that you wrote such wonderful words about me on here. and even more blessed that i feel the same! i am so unbelievably thankful for you and i can't imagine my life without you in it. who else could know my heart the same way a best friend does? no one, i'm sure of it.

    thank you for writing such sweet words and know that there isn't one day that goes by where i don't have some sense of peace in knowing you will always be there.

    and now i'm seeing that always may not be ALWAYS. so i will enjoy what i have for now and never take it for granted.

    i love you, kate marie.

    p.s. i squealed when i saw, not just one, but MORE THAN ONE, post from you in my blog feed. i'm glad you're back in the game, lady. can't wait to see what you write next <3

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