What's Important

photo © 2008 Moyan Brenn | more info (via: Wylio)

In our modern day society people and families are extremely busy.  Most Americans work a forty hour work week and many find themselves working a second job just to get by.  The impact and stress of our lifestyles is affecting our families.  When this happens it is easy to lose sight of what's important in our lives.  Losing Erica knocked me back to reality.  There was a time when my main focus was my career.  I sacrificed my family to corporate philosophy.  Now, I find myself childless and wishing I would have done things differently.  But again, I always thought I would have time later.  Well, later is here and time is no longer on my side.  My version of what's important has changed through the process of grieving Erica and reflecting on my life.  I just pray it's not too late.

Grave Thieves

photo © 2010 Kirsty Andrews | more info Sometime after Memorial Day weekend grave thieves visited the Cemetery where my Sister is buried.  Luckily nothing was taken from her grave.  Some family and friends of mine discovered that their loved ones graves were robbed.  The people who committed this crime have no respect for the grief others feel.  To remove items left for someone else is just callus and cold.  Some of these items were handcrafted by loving family members in tribute to their loved one.  The emotion one goes through is hard enough when you lose the ones you love.  To discover that their victims of grave thieves is like rubbing salt in a wound.  It is painful!

My cousin was visiting her Father's grave during Memorial Day weekend and left her purse in the car.  Accidentally the car was left unlocked and someone stole her purse while she was at the Cemetery.  Now a purse can be replaced but what was inside the purse was irreplaceable.   Her wedding set was in her wallet and it was the one her parents were married with.  Her Father died when she was very young and this wedding set along with another ring he had given her Mother were very special to her.  Now I know crimes happen when opportunity presents itself.  But it is inconceivable to me how these people live with themselves.  Grave thieves will one day have to answer for their deeds.

Quote: Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that's right is to get by, and the only thing that's wrong is to get caught. ~J.C. Watts

    

Reflection

photo © 2010 Anita Ritenour | more info (via: Wylio)When our time on Earth is through what remains is a reflection of who we are.  This reflection can be observed in many ways.  Our possessions are a reflection of things we enjoyed and desired.  The words others speak about us are a reflection on the impact we had on others lives.  Maybe the biggest reflection of our lives will be remembered by the deeds we accomplished.  While grieving Erica my mind tends to wonder to the reflection of my life.  What impact and reflection will my life leave?  I know there are still a few things I need to accomplish before my time is through.  How about you?

Quote: Everyone and everything that shows up in our life is a reflection of something that is happening inside of us.  ~Alan Cohen

  

  

Contending with Reality

photo © 2008 Athena Flickr | more info (via: Wylio)Although I know Erica is gone, I never saw any physical evidence of her death.  I have mixed feelings about that.  I know it would have been traumatic to see her and probably even haunting to me.  But there is a part of me that still doesn't want to believe she is gone.  Therefore contending with reality can be challenging for me.  My mind knows she's gone but moving on to acceptance is proving difficult for me.  How do you accept that your loved one is gone and get to the point where you can let it go?

Quote: "Death is not the greatest loss in life.  The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”

            ~Norman Cousins

Last Gift

photo © 2010 SFAJane | more info (via: Wylio)This past Christmas my Sister bought me a Pandora butterfly bead for my bracelet.  Of all the beads on my bracelet that one means the most to me.  Through the years I can't remember any other present that meant as much.  She could have gone the easy route and got me a gift card, but she didn't.  My butterfly bead was the last gift my Sister gave to me.  Just like a butterfly, Erica's life was too brief.  The beauty is fleeting but touches our lives in a quiet way.  May the beauty of Erica's life live on with her family and friends everyday.

Three Months

Another Tuesday is here and another reminder to me, it has been ninety-one days since my Sister passed away.  Life marches on and the clock doesn't stop.  Each day passes and time piles up.  Three months of tears and words I've shared, doesn't take the pain away for the loss I bear.  No words can describe the utter despair knowing my Sister will never be here.  Three months isn't long, only a fraction of time, life as we knew it no longer exists.  As another sun sets and the day is through, there is still one saying and it's sadly true, you don't know what you've got until it's gone.  So forget-not my Sister, even though her journey is done.  Time will not extinguish the memories we shared. 

Quote:  Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.
                 ~John Archibald Wheeler

Life

photo © 2010 jans canon | more info (via: Wylio)

The life we live is the life we make.  There are no directions for the roads we take.  The choices we make affect the ones we love.  There is no recipe to follow or tried and true plan.  No guarantees are given for how things turn out.  Sometimes life is a mystery just waiting to be solved.  Life has no "do over" button, so make certain that you, live your life to its fullest until it is through.