One of my close friends has been through the wringer this past year. Her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and has spent the year going through treatment. This past month her brother was in an accident and will need to go through extensive physical therapy.
I just attended this friend’s baby shower. It was a beautiful gathering of friends and family celebrating new life entering the world.
New life. When celebrating a baby, you don’t think about life’s fragility because babies have their whole lives ahead of them. However, juxtaposed next to the rest of what my friend has been through recently, it’s hard to not recognize that in the blink of an eye, the vision with which you see the future can be jeopardized.
People use the casual phrase “life is short” as an excuse to behave impulsively.
For those who have lost someone they love, or who have come close to losing them, it’s not a casual phrase at all. It can trivialize what you know all too well.
Sometimes it’s good to reflect and recognize that life doesn’t last forever. Other times, it’s just as well to put that aside and rejoice in the lives we have, and the lives we can create.
Jordan has lost her father, grandfather, mentor and friend in the past five years. Dealing with sequential losses has been difficult, but her faith in God and an abundance of conversations over coffee have helped her push through. She has always considered herself a writer, and she currently studies English and Journalism at Northern Illinois University. In her spare time she enjoys serving at her church, wedding planning and cuddling with her cat.
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