Getting 'it'

So, Bella won in a shut out (technically I would have voted for Pema, so it is a little tainted).

In any event, yesterday we had the family over to celebrate what would have been my mother in law's 78th birthday. She passed several years ago from cancer.

Now for me to say that Jean she was a mother in law is an understatement. She was a wonderful, loving mom to anyone she came in contact with. That being said, she is one of the strongest people I have ever known. She never complained during any of her chemo, radiations, medications or anything else. She said to me "How can I complain when there are kids at Roswell who may not make it, with smiles and laughs going through worse than I am."

Jean was one of the rare people who got 'it'. She didn't waste many days, she cherished the moments. She did that before the cancer took her and if you knew her at all, you are smiling.

Two of my closest friends, Marianne and Greg Black may be the most grounded and loving couple I know of. They get 'it'.

I've never told them how proud I am or how much I admire that they are together and so strong. Married in their early twenties, they beat the odds. Not the normal odds that most young married couples go through, much more than that. They lost two children at a young age, Ryan and Lauren, in a car accident. Many couples don't survive that.

One child survived, the miracle child -Amelia. They have three daughters now (Grace and Annalise) , and, other than my granddaughters, they are the most beautiful, wonderful kids you could imagine.

The great thing about the Blacks is their closeness. They appreciate each others company. They vacation together, they come home to each other and they celebrate life together. They get 'it'.

'It' is, as best as I can describe it, understanding that life can be fickle and fleeting, but it is also the most wonderful of all things. Moments lost, they can't be regained. As Bonnie Raitt says 'Life gets mighty precious, when there's less of it to waste.' Spend every moment in the moment. Don't wish the time away.

I challenge you today to really look at your family and friends and appreciate them. Find the time for that vacation, day off or weekend get together. Enjoy this life. Be grateful.

The optimist is right and the pessimist is right, it's how you look at it. Why not look for the beautiful, good things that happen. You can get 'it', too. You just have to look.

                                    'Everyday is a good day.'
                                                        -Isabella DiGesare