Be Good

I saw a Facebook post today about a family who received devastating news in October - their father/husband/grandfather had been diagnosed with mouth cancer and had been told he probably only had about 6 weeks to live. They were asking for prayers for he and the whole family as he fights the good fight against this horrible disease.

It reminded me of a family member who lost her husband to a similar form of cancer last year - it was found suddenly, and he fought one heck of a fight before he went to Heaven.  I didn’t know him well, but I felt like I did because he and my cousin had the kind of love story everyone wants and wishes for.  Both in person and in their Facebook posts to each other (there are lots), they were absolutely adorable and made you feel like you were part of their story.  I loved keeping up with them and what they were doing.  

He was also a sort of mentor to Darryl when he played baseball as a kid.  Darryl always looked up to him, even as an adult when he really hadn’t had contact with him in years.  Gary made a big impression on him, probably more so than he realized.  So we were both incredibly sad when we heard that he was sick and later when he passed.  I remember reading the progress posts Tina shared for family and friends to let them know what was happening and showing them to Darryl, and just praying some miracle would happen.

Those are situations that are a big reminder for me that no matter what goes on with people in your life, you should never take anyone who means something to you for granted.  Life is too short. You never know what’s around the corner.  It could be something amazing, or it could be something devastating.  No one knows, and you can’t always be prepared, so you just have to live each day to the fullest. 

Love each other; don’t tear each other down.  You never know if the last thing you said to someone might actually be the last thing you ever get to say to them.  It never hurts to say a kind word or be supportive, but you can’t always take back other things you say.

You shouldn’t dwell on those things that haven’t happened yet, but you can take this into consideration when you decide how you’re going to treat people.  

There are too many people in this world just waiting to tear down seemingly everyone around them.  Most of them probably won’t change, but we don’t need to add to the negativity.  

So instead:

Do something good for someone, even if you don’t know them well.  You never know, you might create the brightest spot in their whole day.

Hold the people important to you close and make sure they know how much you love them.  

Take a second to pray for those who need it.