What a year 2020 was. The world that we live in was impacted by a virus that we're still battling today. Many have suffered. Many have died. Many have suffered and died from events that occurred outside of Covid-19. And yet, we remain today. We're still here through the changes that came upon us and the challenges of those changes and adjustments. Celebrate life today.
A family member of mine passed away this past year and I visited him a couple of days before he suddenly died. I think about him and his life. Though I wasn't real close to him, I found him to be a unique and interesting guy. He was a friend to many, though a private man. I always wondered what made him tick. After his passing, people that knew us said so many wonderful things about him. His ex-wife said that he helped a lot of people and that they loved him. Sadly, his end came too soon, but I believe he's at peace. When I spoke to his best friend about his passing, I commented that he would never have thought that his life would have ended this way and so soon. His friend said, "I know," and then cried. I cried.
I had a friend that died at the age of twenty-four many years ago. A couple of days before cancer had entered his brain; he told me that he wouldn't wish his cancer on his worst enemy. A great guy he was, a great guy. He was my co-worker's son and had been married for just a couple of years. He had a young son. When I visited him at the hospital a couple of days after he made that comment to me, he could no longer speak. His eyes would follow me around the room, and he would move his mouth as if he were trying to speak. Cancer. He is at peace now, I believe. We are still here today.
Please everyone watch and read the Facebook "Sharing is Caring"-Holly Butcher video. I implore you, PLEASE read and watch it, and look her up on Facebook and read her post, her letter to the world. She is from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and passed away almost three years ago. I have read her letter to the world every year since she has passed. We are still here. Celebrate life.
I believe that we all experience triumphs and tragedies in life, reap the rewards, and have regrets. It's sometimes easy to live with gratitude, to be grateful. Sometimes it's easier said than done. I can't tell you how many times in my life I've said, "Why me?" That is why, to me, practice is so important. Practice living in the moment. To ask God, my higher power, for help. To practice taking action steps in several areas. To walk through fear with faith that healthy actions will lead to something positive. To practice being still. To practice living a healthy life.
Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks in one of my Hall of Fame movies "Cast Away" said during the climactic scene of the film, "And I know what I have to do now. I've got to keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring".
Let's find a way to celebrate life today. There is a saying, "We may live in sadness, but we needn't live sadly." Yes, acknowledge the pain. Remember, there is also joy around us. There is, believe me. Again, it's easier said than done sometimes. It can be accomplished. God knows. Please practice Glow Community! Practice please everyone!
Happy New Year, 2021!