I believe that is the lesson here . . . not that there must always be a lesson, but if you have read any of my postings, you know that I think there generally IS a LESSON.
. . . just getting by . . . with laundry and lunches and grocery shopping and dusting and vacuuming and cleaning and those are just the mundane, "have to do chores." Just getting by doing what must be done, what I want and need to get done. Sometimes, I let life get away from me and I forget, or lose site of the truth, that I truly want to live my life . . . that is why I started this BLOG. So, I'm back!
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| Spring is here! |
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| Spring has sprung! |
Speaking of sharing, I had lunch with a dear friend on Friday. I haven't seen her in a long time. I have known her for most of my life and yet we have never been the kind of friends that get together for lunch or talk on the phone or spend much time together at all. But she is dear to me! She is a woman who exemplifies the word authentic. I have always admired her for that trait and others, too many to mention. My friend is also the bravest person I know. She is the kind of person who thoughtfully expresses herself without malice and her conviction strikes a cord when she supports a cause or a philosophy. In August 2008, all of who she was (and still is) was tested. She is a gifted writer so I'll use her words to tell their story:
An excerpt from the family CaringBridge site . . .
Be nTouch
An excerpt from the family CaringBridge site . . .
After almost a month of persistent fevers and other vague symptoms, Geoffrey was taken to see an Infectious Diseases specialist at Children's Hospital. His mono tests, etc., were all negative, so a CT scan was done to look for an abcess or infection. The CT showed a mass in his liver. The CT did not show any problems anywhere else in his body. He was admitted to the hospital late that day, Wednesday, July 16.
On the 18th, the surgeons did an open biopsy and removed a sample of the mass for pathology tests and installed a port, or central line.
We came home on the 24th, and after about two weeks away from the hospital, he checked back into the hospital on August 11 in order to better manage his food, his fluids, and his red blood cell count. His tumor was growing faster than the doctors anticipated. As a result, the type of chemo he was receiving was changed when he was admitted to the hospital. Within days, the tumor broke through the wall of his liver and caused massive internal bleeding. There was nothing we could do. He died on August 16th.
We came home on the 24th, and after about two weeks away from the hospital, he checked back into the hospital on August 11 in order to better manage his food, his fluids, and his red blood cell count. His tumor was growing faster than the doctors anticipated. As a result, the type of chemo he was receiving was changed when he was admitted to the hospital. Within days, the tumor broke through the wall of his liver and caused massive internal bleeding. There was nothing we could do. He died on August 16th.
No words can begin to describe how we feel. The light that made absolutely every day since May 24, 1999, a joy and an adventure has been extinguished. We'll search for a new purpose for living and hold onto the memories of our life with him. Thank you for your support and for the love that so many of you have shown.
My dear friend has endured what most of us never will, thankfully! She is a true inspiration and one that I will always cherish! Ironically, she would most likely be embarrassed by this attention. And she would be quick to point out that this terrible thing didn't just happen to her. Her husband, their families and her precious son's young friends and teachers and neighbors . . . he touched so many lives in his short nine years on earth. His story, their story, reminded me in a rather profound way, that my story is still being told and I must do a better job to tell it and live it. I can't afford to let life get in the way and just get by . . . each day is a gift. Thank you to my dear friend for reminding me of my path and my purpose.
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| Lenten Rose for Geoffrey |
Be nTouch
The story of your friend and her child dieing is an inspirational one. You're right, we should count each day as a blessing not a hardship. We each have a purpose here on earth. As the old saying goes "live like it's heaven on earth."
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